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<  iX 

ft'om  tlie  GerniLaiL 

OF 

THMST«  CMEISTMK  STUMM. 


PHILAUELPHIA 


STURM'S 


REFLECTIONS 


ON 


THE  WORKS  OF  GOD, 


AND  HIS  PROVIDENCE 


THROUGHOUT  ALL  NATURE. 


COMPLETE   IN  ONE  VOLUME. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  J.  J.  WOODWARD, 

No.  7,  MINOR  STREET. 

1832. 


PREFACE. 


The  continued  and  increasing  demand  for  the  works  of  Sturm  has 
occasioned  the  present  edition  of  his  Reflections  to  be  presented  to 
the  pubUc ;  before  whose  tribunal  they  have  so  long  been,  that  to 
descant  now  upon  their  nature,  merits,  and  design,  would  be  super- 
fluous. It  may,  however,  be  briefly  stated,  that  these  reflections  are 
calculated  to  enlarge  the  mind  and  to  purify  the  heart :  they  lead  the 
attentive  observer  through  the  whole  creation,  inform  him  of  its  stu- 
pendous works,  and  conduct  him  within  the  temple  of  the  great 
God ;  whilst  they  inculcate  resignation  to  the  divine  will,  humanity, 
benevolence,  and  the  most  amiable  virtues  which  dignify  and  adorn 
human  nature. 

Several  translations  of  this  work  have  already  appeared  ;  but  they 
are  all  either  grossly  inaccurate,  and  deficient  in  grammatical  purity, 
or  they  are  written  in  a  tame,  insipid  style,  devoid  of  elegance  and 
destitute  of  interest.  Let  it  be  remembered,  that  something  more 
than  merely  expressing  the  thought  is  required  ;  the  harmony  of  the 
cadence,  the  rounding  of  the  period,  and  the  poising  of  the  sentences, 
all  are  necessary  to  excite  and  to  arrest  the  attention  ;  and  unless  the 
attention  be  stimulated  and  stabilitated,  it  will  be  to  very  little  pur- 
pose that  the  moralist  declaims,  or  the  philosopher  writes.  For  pur- 
poses merely  didactic,  when  something  is  to  be  told  that  was  not 
known  before,  a  style  the  most  naked  and  beggarly  might,  perhaps, 
.  \^  be  endured ;  because  the  novelty  of  the  matter  may  induce  us  to 
overlook  the  poverty  of  the  manner  :  not  but,  even  in  this  case,  the 
thought  will  receive  additional  strength  and  lustre  from  elegance  and 
splendour  of  diction ;  as  a  beautiful  woman  appears  more  lovely 
when  arrayed  with  neatness  and  simplicity,  than  when  cloaked  to  the 
heels  in  very  rags  and  tatters. 


iv 


PREFACE. 


But  against  that  inattention  by  which  known  truths  are  suffered  to 
be  neglected,  insipid  language  or  sterility  of  imagery  makes  no  pro- 
vision ;  it  may,  perchance,  instruct,  but  can  never  persuade.  Now, 
although  what  Sturm  says  is  very  good,  and  very  just,  yet,  as  he 
wishes  to  lead  us  from  the  error  of  our  ways  to  the  wisdom  of  the 
just,  it  is  necessary  that  he  use  eveiy  effort  to  impress  upon  our  minds 
an  earnest  desire  to  follow  him  in  his  strains  of  piety  and  heavenly 
contemplations.  He  has  many  powerful  obstacles  to  struggle  against ; 
such  as,  the  obstinate  resistance  of  our  own  perverted  and  corrupt 
hearts,  and  the  allurements  and  example  of  an  ignorant  and  embm- 
tified  world,  which  will  not  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  charmer,  charm 
he  never  so  wisely. 

We  well  know  that  the  same  truth,  told  in  two  different  ways,  shall 
have  a  very  different  effect  upon  our  minds  :  let  it  be  doled  out  to  us 
in  a  droning,  drowsy  tone,  and  in  homely,  vulgar  language,  and  we 
either  sleep,  or  turn  our  backs  upon  the  speaker ;  but  let  a  man  deli- 
ver this  truth  in  appropriate  diction,  with  impressive  seriousness  and 
awful  solemnity,  and  it  will  penetrate  to  the  inmost  recesses  of  our 
heart.  The  same  reasoning  applies  to  writing ;  which  may,  indeed, 
be  called  speaking  to  the  eye.  We  slumber  over  the  page  which  is 
polluted  by  colloquial  barbarisms,  and  deformed  by  continual  outrages 
against  accuracy  and  elegance.  In  such  a  situation  is  the  invaluable 
Sturm  placed  by  his  translators :  his  thoughts  are  clouded  by  unseemly 
language,  and  buried  by  a  tiresome  abundance  of  repetitions.  I  do 
not  mean  to  blame  them  for  not  having  been  sufficiently  literal  in 
their  versions ;  because  the  idioms  of  the  two  languages  are  so  dif- 
ferent, that  all  the  spirit  of  the  original  must  vanish  if  the  copy  be 
made  too  close.  The  attempting  to  render  word  for  word  any  work 
from  one  language  into  another,  is  a  foolish  and  useless  undertaking; 
because  it  precludes  the  possibility  of  expressing  the  sense  of  the 
author.  It  will  be  readily  seen,  therefore,  that  I  do  not  mean  to  give 
a  literal,  but  a  liberal  translation  of  Sturm:  his  repetitions  of  the 
same  things,  and  many  such  there  are,  I  have  avoided  ;  some  of  his 
inaccuracies  ventured  to  correct,  and  have  omitted  some  trifling  pas- 
sages, which  lessened  the  weight  and  dignity  of  the  subject ;  and 
every  where,  by  an  attention  to  style,  have  endeavoured  to  give  it  the 
spirit  of  an  original  work.  In  doing  this  I  have  been  anlious  to  pre- 
serve the  same  fervent  strain  of  piety  which  animated  the  v/orthy 
author ;  and  in  presenting  this  work  to  the  public  in  a  more  elegant 
dress  and  convenient  form,  I  am  not  conscious  of  having  at  all  per- 


PREFACE. 


V 


verted  the  spirit  of  the  original,  or  derogated  from  the  dignity  of  the 
subject.  This  edition,  although  translated  by  the  same  hand  as  that 
erroneously  said  to  be  by  the  Author  of  the  Adviser^  differs  in  some 
respects  from  that  translation,  which  was  composed  very  hastily,  and 
came  from  the  press  with  some  inaccuracies.  Some  of  the  concluding 
sentences,  which  were  omitted  before,  are  now  restored,  as  tending  to 
promote  the  cause  of  religion  and  the  practice  of  humanity ;  and 
many  corrections  liave  been  made. 

I  cannot  conclude,  without  sincerely  congratulating  the  public  upon 
the  increase  of  piety,  and  the  more  general  diffusion  of  knowledge, 
in  this  country.  Our  children  are  leaving  the  worse-than-foolish 
tales  of  Tom  Thumb,  Goody  Two-shoes,  Little  Red  Riding-hood, 
Jack  the  Giant  Killer,  and  many  more  productions  of  like  nature,  all 
tending  to  vitiate  their  young  minds,  fill  them  with  absurd  notions, 
and  encourage  a  love  of  the  marvellous,  and  a  dislike  to  plain  truth ; 
for  works  savouring  more  of  probabihty,  and  tending  to  conduct  them 
through  the  paths  of  virtue  to  the  temple  of  fame.  The  present 
work  I  venture  to  recommend  to  young  people,  with  a  firm  confidence 
in  its  improving  the  mind  and  ameliorating  the  heart.  It  will  be 
particularly  useful  to  those  whose  reading  is  not  very  extensive,  as 
containing  much  useful  information  in  natural  history  and  natural 
philosophy,  conveyed  in  language  intelligible  to  young  children;  and 
every  where  abounding  with  devotion  warm  from  the  heart. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 


A  meditation  upon  new-year's  day    ...  11 
Winter  has  Hessings  which  are  often  disre- 
garded                                             .  12 

God  continually  presides  over  his  creation  13 

Uses  and  advantages  of  fire   13 

Amusements  of  winter   15 

God's  providential  care  of  the  animal  crea- 
tion during  winter                               .  16 

The  beauties  of  the  winter   18 

Of  the  vegetables  wlich  preserve  their  ver- 
dure through  the  winter   18 

Singular  state  of  man  during  sleep    ...  20 

Of  the  advantages  of  our  climate  ....  21 

Snow  conduces  to  the  earth's  fertility     .    .  23 

Contemplation  of  the  heavenly  bodies  .  .  23 
Discoveries  which  have  been  made  by  the 

microscope   25 

Advantages  of  night   26 

Reflections  upon  self                              .  27 

The  damage  occasioned  by  extraordinary 

cold  .   29 

Nature  reposes  during  the  winter  ....  30 

Of  the  Laplanders   31 

Wisdom  displayed  in  the  structure  of  the  globe  33 
Short  meditations  upon  the  works  of  God, 

taken  from  the  scriptures   34 

Of  the  human  voice   35 

Necessity  of  reflecting  upon  God  ....  37 

The  fear  of  apparitions   38 

Subterraneous  fires   39 

Of  comets   39 

Of  snow   40 

Rapidity  with  which  hfe  passes  away    .    .  41 
Hoar-frost  observed  on  the  glass  of  win- 
dows   42 

On  the  use  of  bread   43 

Of  our  duty  in  respect  to  sleep     ....  43 
Of  the  revolutions  which  are  continually  tak- 
ing place  in  nature   44 

Every  thing  in  nature  conduces  to  the  good 

of  mankind   45 

Of  the  influence  which  cold  has  upon  health  46 
A  uniformity  of  temperature  would  be  dis- 
advantageous to  the  earth   47 

Consideration  of  the  stars   49 

Curious  formation  of  the  eye   50 

The  fog   52 

Of  the  tides   53 

The  sun  is  not  always  apparent    ....  54 

Of  earthquakes   55 

Upon  life  and  death   56 

Formation  of  ice   57 

Spherical  figure  of  the  earth   58 

Short  duration  of  snow   59 

The  creation   60 


Page 


Of  brutes  61 

Of  the  moon  62 

Rain  fertilizes  the  earth  .64 

Of  the  shortness  and  uncertainty  of  life  .  65 
Principle  of  combustion  generally  diffused 

throughout  nature  66 

Equal  distribution  of  the  seasons  ....  67 
Utility  of  our  senses  considered  ....  68 
The  soul  becomes  elevated  by  reflecting 

upon  God  70 

Causes  of  the  vicissitudes  of  heat  and  cold  71 
Singularities  in  the  mineral  kingdom  ...  72 
God's  love  for  man  daily  manifested  ...  74 

Tranquillity  of  the  night  75 

Winter  is  an  omblcm  of  life  76 

The  utility  of  mountains  77 

Powers  of  the  mind  enlarged  by  contemplat- 
ing God  in  the  works  of  nature     ...  78 

Unpleasant  weather  80 

State  of  certain  birds  and  animals  during  the 

vdnter   80 

Winds  and  tempests  81 

Aurora  Borealis  83 

Power  of  God  displayed  in  the  minutest  ob- 
jects  84 

The  effects  of  winter  gradually  depart  .  .  85 
The  external  parts  of  the  human  body  .    .  86 

Hope  of  spring  88 

Hoar-frost  89 

Means  which  contribute  to  fertilize  the  earth  90 
Of  the  advantages  derived  from  the  sea  .  .  91 
Diflference  existing  between  animals  and 

plants  92 

Uniformity  and  diversity  in  the  works  of  na- 

ture  9S 

Of  seeds  95 

Grandeur  and  distance  of  the  sun  ...  96 
Upon  the  imperfect  knowledge  we  have  of 

nature  97 

The  utility  of  vegetables  99 

Structure  of  the  human  heart  100 

The  change  of  seasons  101 

Every  thing  created  has  its  use  ....  102 
Harmony  between  the  moral  and  physical 

world  104 

Of  the  nature  and  properties  of  air    .    .    .  105 

Nothing  new  imder  the  sun  106 

Of  caves  found  in  mountains  107 

Circulation  of  sap  in  trees  108 

Ignorance  of  futurity  109 

Gradual  approach  of  night  110 

Magnificence  of  God  displayed  in  his  works  111 
Arrangement  of  the  seasons  in  different  pla- 
nets  .  112 

Care  of  providence  for  the  preservation  of 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

his  creatures  experieiiced  in  every  country 

of  the  world  113 

Hymn  for  the  commencement  of  spring  .  .115 

Abuse  of  animals  116 

Motion  of  the  earth  117 

Abundant  riches  of  nature  119 

Sunrise  120 

Curious  structure  of  the  ear  121 

The  milky-way  123 

Germination  of  plants  124 

The  azure  colour  of  the  sky  123 

Necessity  and  use  of  air  126 

Diversity  of  soil  127 

Necessity  of  repose  during  the  night  .    •    .  129 

Magnitude  of  the  earth  130 

Generation  of  birds  131 

Prognostic  signs  of  the  weather    .    .    .  .132 

Position  of  the  sun  134 

The  permanency  of  corporeal  beings  .    .    .  135 

Advantages  of  rain  136 

Of  respiration  137 

Proofs  of  the  goodness  of  God  derived  from 

the  works  of  nature  138 

Beneficial  influence  of  the  sun  upon  the 

creation  140 

Relations  that  all  creatures  have  to  each  other  141 
Of  the  constituent  parts  of  water  ....  143 

Propagation  of  plants  144 

Diversity  of  traits  in  the  human  countenance  146 
The  universal  care  of  God  over  his  croatuics  147 

Flowers  which  bloom  in  April  148 

Return  of  the  birds  149 

The  utiUty  of  forests  150 

Pleasures  derived  from  the  contemplation  of 

nature  152 

The  glory  of  God  seen  in  the  creation  of 

animals   153 

Hymn  on  the  beauties  of  spring     .    .    .  .154 

System  of  the  world  155 

Blossoms  of  trees  156 

Of  the  continual  revolutions  and  changes 

that  take  place  in  nature  157 

An  invitation  to  seek  God  in  the  works  of 

nature  158 

Morning  159 

Vision  160 

Spring  renews  the  face  of  the  earth  .    .  .161 

Germination  of  seeds  162 

Of  the  chick  in  the  egg  163 

Buds  of  flowers  165 

Indefatigable  labours  of  the  bee    .    .    .  .166 

Nourishment  of  animals  167 

Senses  of  animals  168 

Order  observed  in  the  succession  of  flowers  .  170 

Zoophites  171 

Pleasures  derived  from  the  cultivation  of 

fields  and  gardens  172 

The  tulip  173 

Reflections  on  grass  174 

Sentiments  excited  by  the  contemplation 

of  the  heavens  175 

Fecundity  of  plants  175 

Description  of  the  beauties  of  spring  .    .  .177 

Language  of  animals  178 

Number  and  magnitude  of  creatures  upon 

the  earth  180 

Spring  an  emblem  of  the  frailty  of  human 

life,  and  an  image  of  death  181 

Spring  emblematical  of  the  resurrection  of 

the  body  182 

Attractive  power  of  bodies  184 


Page 

Complaints  of  men  against  the  laws  of  nature  185 
Of  the  sins  to  which  we  are  most  prone-dur- 


ing  the  spring  186 

Harmony  of  bees  188 

Prodigious  number  of  plants  upon  the  earth  189 

Plurality  of  worlds  190 

Hymn  of  thanksgiving  191 

Difference  between  the  works  of  nature  and 

of  art  192 

Leaves  of  trees   193 

Vivifying  power  of  the  sun  195 

Desires  of  the  soul  unlimited  196 

Utility  of  rivers   198 

Diversity  of  flowers  199 

Use  of  venomous  animals  and  plants  .    .    .  300 

Odour  of  flowers  201 

Multitude  of  animals  202 

Immensity  of  the  firmament  204 

Peculiarities  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  .  .  205 
Means  of  happiness  derived  from  nature    .  207 

The  magnet  208 

Cherries  210 

Wisdom  displayed  in  the  structure  of  the 

bodies  of  animals  211 

Dew  21S 

Mode  of  life  and  labours  of  the  bees  .    .  .215 

External  parts  of  plants  216 

Hymn  of  thanksgiving  for  the  works  of  nature  218 

Catcrtjillars   .  219 

Beginning  of  summer  221 

The  nightingale  222 

The  pleasures  which  summer  offers  to  our 

senses  223 

Sketch  of  the  internal  parts  of  the  human 

body  224 

Electricity  227 

Manner  in  which  thunder  is  formed   .    .    .  228 

Herrings  230 

EcUpses  of  the  sun  and  moon  231 

The  stalk  of  wheat  232 

The  blight  233 

Foreign  plants  '  .    .    .  235 

Transformation  of  caterpillars  236 

The  silkworm  238 

The  rainbow  239 

Birds'  nests  240 

Diversity  of  pleasures  in  nature    ....  242 

A  flower-garden  244 

Phenomena  of  a  thunder-storm    ....  246 

The  ants  246 

Hail  248 

The  utiUty  of  storms  249 

Of  the  earth,  and  its  primitive  constitution  .  251 

Phases  of  the  moon  252 

Mineral  waters  254 

Continual  activity  of  nature  in  the  vegetable 

kingdom  255 

Beauty  and  use  of  meadows  256 

Morning  twilight  257 

Rural  pleasures  259 

Evening  twiUght  259 

The  ephemeron  fly  260 

Diversity  of  zones  261 

Peculiarities  of  the  sea  263 

Different  shades  observable  in  flowers    .    .  265 

Summer  heat  266 

Of  some  remarkable  properties  in  animals  .  267 

The  human  countenance  269 

Gravity  of  bodies  270 

Many  effects  in  nature  proceed  from  the 

same  catise    ...   272 


CONTENTS. 


ix 


Page 


Of  some  diseases  of  plants  273 

Means  of  subsistence  which  nature  provides 

for  animals  274 

Meditation  upon  the  works  of  nature    .    .  276 

Varieties  of  stature  in  men  277 

Vegetation  of  the  stalk  of  wheat    .    .    .  .278 

Dog-days   279 

Sleep  280 

Divisibility  of  matter  281 

External  structure  of  insects  283 

Comparison  between  the  senses  of  men  and 

those  of  animals  284 

Thunder  285 

Contemplation  upon  a  meadow    ....  287 

Mischiefs  caused  by  animals  288 

Variety  of  colours  289 

Habitations  of  beavers  291 

Manner  in  which  the  nutrition  of  the  human 

body  is  effected  292 

Nature  considered  in  different  points  of  view  294 
Damages  which  may  be  occasioned  by  rain  295 
Cares  of  animals  for  their  young   .    .    .    ,  296 

Sensibility  of  plants  297 

Fear  of  storms  299 

Summer  presents  us  with  images  of  death  .  300 
Causes  of  the  heat  of  the  earth    ....  301 

Diversity  of  plants  303 

Reflections  upon  the  animal  kingdom    .    .  304 

Division  of  the  earth  305 

Of  the  nature  and  properties  of  light  .    .    .  307 

Structure  of  birds  308 

Reflections  upon  the  sky  309 

Moral  reflections  upon  a  field  of  corn    .  .310 

Shell- fish  311 

Upon  the  government  of  God  312 

Harvest  hymn  313 

Thanksgiving  for  God's  providential  care  of 

his  creatures  313 

Hymn  in  praise  of  the  Most  High     .    .    .  314 

The  omnipresence  of  God  315 

The  beauty  and  variety  of  butterflies     .  .315 

The  growth  of  trees  317 

The  ant-lion  318 

Conformity  between  plants  and  animals  .  .  S20 
The  nature  and  properties  of  sound  .    .    .  322 

The  mysteries  of  nature  324 

Eyes  of  animals  326 

Fish  327 

Of  the  propagation  of  animals  329 

Influence  of  the  moon  upon  the  human  body  330 

The  mineral  kingdom  331 

Exotic  plants  333 

The  strength  of  man  compared  with  that  of 

animals  335 

Instinct  of  the  butterfly  in  the  propagation 

of  its  species  337 

The  vine  338 

Hvmn  to  celebrate  the  works  of  the  creation  340 
Wonders  which  God  daily  effects  in  the 

creation  340 

Digestion  of  food  342 

The  prevalence  of  good  in  the  world  greater 

than  that  of  evil  343 

Enmity  between  animals  344 

Moral  uses  of  night  346 

Of  man's  indifference  to  the  works  of  na- 
ture  347 

Of  several  nocturnal  meteors  349 

Amphibious  animals  351 

Perfection  of  the  works  of  God  ....  353 
Fruits  355 


Page 


Hymn  of  praise  imitated  from  the  147th 

psalm  356 

Invitation  to  praise  God  357 

A  hymn  in  praise  of  God  357 

Effects  of  fire  358 

The  instinct  and  industry  of  birds  ....  360 

Animal  reproductions  361 

The  organs  of  taste  363 

Of  God  s  government  with  regard  to  natural 

events  364 

The  inexhaustible  riches  of  nature    .    .    .  365 

Petrifactions  366 

The  operations  of  nature  are  gradual     .    .  368 

Fall  of  leaves  369 

Different  species  of  earths  370 

Wine  372 

Migration  of  birds  373 

Variety  of  trees  375 

Temperature  in  different  climates  of  the 

earth  376 

Atmosphere  of  the  earth  378 

Proportion  between  births  and  deaths  .  .  379 
Ravages  in  the  kingdom  of  nature    .    .    .  381 

Circulation  of  the  blood  383 

Proportion  of  various  parts  of  the  human 

body  384 

Navigation  386 

Beasts  of  burden  388 

Winter  seed-time  389 

Particular  providence  390 

Division  of  time  391 

The  end  of  summer  383 

Magnificence  of  God  displayed  in  the  crea- 
tion  394 

Laws  of  inertia  396 

Wants  of  men  398 

Hymn  upon  the  power  and  providence  of 

God  400 

A  hymn  of  praise  401 

Marine  animaJs  402 

The  wisdom  of  God  in  connecting  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  nature  403 

Reflections  upon  the  summer  which  is 

past  405 

Inconvenience  of  the  night  406 

Woods  and  forests  408 

The  sense  of  feeling  in  animals  410 

Remembrance  of  the  blessings  which  we  en- 
joy in  spring  and  summer  412 

Foreign  animals  413 

Diversity  of  winds  415 

The  chase  417 

Dreams  ^  418 

Every  thing  in  the  univt.^eis  connected  to- 
gether, and  concurs  to  the  preservation 

and  perfection  of  the  whole  420 

Common  salt  422 

Origin  of  fountains  42S 

Hair  of  the  head  424 

System  of  the  world  426 

Lobsters  426 

Advantageous  situation  of  all  ihe  parts  of  the 

human  body  428 

Order  and  regularity  of  nature  430 

Of  winter  in  the  northern  countries    .    .    .  432 

Transformations  in  nature  433 

The  greatness  of  God  is  perceptible  in  the 

least  things  435 

Gradual  increase  of  the  cold  437 

Sflow  438 

Sleep  of  animals  during  thewinte^  .    .    .  439 


X 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Use  of  storms  441 

Fortuitous  events  442 

The  majesty  of  God  443 

Motives  for  contentment  445 

Grateful  remembrance  of  past  mercies   .    .  446 

Hymn  of  praise  447 

Era  of  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  of  the 

human  race  448 

The  use  of  wood  449 

Remarkable  properties  cf  certain  animals   .  450 

Formation  ot  snow  452 

Winter  plants  453 

Exhortation  to  remember  the  poor  during 

the  severity  of  winter  454 

Nature  is  a  school  for  the  heart  ....  455 
The  goodness  of  God  manifested  to  men, 

even  in  those  things  which  appear  to  be 

hurtful  457 

Accidental  revolutions  of  our  globe    .    .    .  458 

Gratitude  for  our  clothing  460 

Covering  of  animals  461 

Thoughts  on  the  ravages  of  winter    .    .    .  462 


Pags 

Sagacity  of  animals  in  procuring  sustenance 

for  the  winter  464 

Advantages  of  winter  465 

The  elements  467 

Influence  of  the  sun  upon  the  earth    .    .    .  469 

Winter  rains   470 

Supposed  influence  of  the  planets  and  fixed 

stars  471 

The  polar  star  472 

Effects  of  air  when  confined  in  bodies    .    .  473 

Music  475 

Men  compared  with  other  animals  .  .  .  476 
Calculation  concerning  the  resurrection  .  .  477 
Thoughts  upon  the  nativity  of  Christ  .  ,  478 
The  place  of  our  Saviour's  nativity  .  .  .479 
Care  which  God  takes  of  men  from  the  time 

of  their  birth  481 

Period  of  human  life  432 

The  instability  of  earthly  things    ....  483 

Retrospect  of  our  lives  484 

Hymn  of  thanksgiving  for  the  close  of  the 

year  485 


REFLECTIONS 

UPON 

THE  WORKS  OF  GOD, 

AS  DISPLAYED  IN  NATURE. 


JANUARY  I. 

A  MEDITATION  UPON  NEW-TEAR's  DAY. 

Let  us  consider  this  day  as  the  first  of  our  hves,  and  venture  to 
anticipate,  from  the  goodness  of  God,  a  repetition  of  those  benefits 
which  we  have  received  from  our  first  entrance  into  the  world,  to 
the  present  period  of  our  existence.  What  blessings  may  we  hope 
from  that  Being,  which  has  ever  watched  over  us  witli  the  tender 
sohcitude  of  a  father ;  which,  at  the  hour  of  our  birth,  presented  us 
in  our  parents  with  friends  that  have  supphed  all  our  wants,  and 
supported  us  through  the  helpless  and  unprotected  state  of  infancy  ? 

Without  their  fostering  care,  how  could  we  have  preserved  our 
health,  and  all  the  comforts  which  we  now  enjoy  1  Were  it  possible 
for  us  at  that  time  to  have  reflected  upon  our  destined  fate,  we  should 
doubtless  have  looked  forward  with  delight  to  the  pleasures  of  our 
sublunary  existence  ;  now  that  we  are  capable  of* such  reflections,  it 
is  pleasing  to  indulge  the  sensations  our  present  happiness  inspires, 
and  our  imagination  dwells  with  rapture  upon  the  sweet  hopes  of 
future  felicity. 

To-day  a  new  career  of  life  opens  before  us,  in  which,  though 
more  advanced  to  maturity,  we  still  require  a  portion  of  that  support 
we  experienced,  when,  feeble  and  destitute,  we  first  drew  our  breath. 
In  the  hour  of  danger,  and  in  the  time  of  aflJliction,  we  feel  the 
necessity  of  a  friend  to  support  us,  and  of  a  companion  to  cheer  our 
drooping  spirits,  who  can  smooth  life's  rugged  path,  and  heighten  all 
her  pleasures.  And  surely  our  Heavenly  Father  has  already  chosen 
for  us  such  a  friend ;  one  who,  when  doubt  and  imcertainty  perplex, 
will  advise  us  how  to  act,  and  when  misfortune  threatens,  will  be 
our  chief  support  and  consolation ;  who,  during  the  full  tide  of 
prosperity,  will  partake  of  our  joys,  and  who  will  assist  our  reasoning 
faculties  when  enfeebled  and  enervated. 

It  was  not  by  accident,  or  without  design,  that  we  came  into  the 
world.    As  a  part  of  the  great  system  of  nature,  our  destiny  is  over- 


12 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


ruled  by  an  all-seeing  Providence,  of  whose  designs  respecting  us  we 
are  ignorant,  but  who  knows  all,  and  governs  all  with  wisdom  and 
harmony ;  and  whatever  unknown  disasters  impend,  or  unexpected 
benefits  await  us,  this  present  year,  let  us  bow  down  with  reverence 
and  with  gratitude  to  his  divine  will.  Whatsoever  be  our  lot, 
whether  to  endure  the  chilling  blasts  of  penury,  or  to  suffer  the 
heart-rending  anguish  of  a  once  dear  friend  forgetting  the  ties  of 
affection,  let  us  strengthen  our  belief  in  the  all-protecting  arm  of 
God.  Though  dangers  may  threaten,  and  persecution  afflict,  w^e 
will  yet  look  up  to  that  Almighty  Power  which  raised  our  feeble 
frame  to  its  present  state  of  hardihood,  which  cherished  the  tender 
bud  from  all  the  storms  and  perils  that  frowned  upon  its  expansion  ; 
we  will  believe  that  He,  who  thus  protected  our  infancy,  will  not  be 
less  the  father  and  the  supporter  of  our  old  age. 


JANUARY  II. 

WINTER  HAS  BLESSINGS,  WHICH  ARE  OFTEN  DISREGARDED. 

If  we  examine  the  works  of  God  with  attention,  we  shall  find, 
even  in  this  season,  many  subjects  which  may  lead  us  to  rejoice  in 
the  goodness  of  the  Lord,  and  to  exalt  the  miracles  of  his  wisdom. 
During  the  budding  spring,  the  bountiful  summer,  and  the  luxuriant 
autumn,  when  Nature,  from  the  most  simple,  assumes  her  gayest 
and  most  splendid  robes,  hardened  and  callous,  indeed,  must  be  that 
heart  which  does  not  throb  with  pleasure,  and  pulsate  with  gratitude, 
for  such  choice  gifts.  But  w^hen  the  north  wind  blows,  wiien  a 
biting  frost  stiffens  the  face  of  the  earth,  when  the  fields,  stripped  of 
their  fruits,  and  divested  of  all  their  charms,  present  one  w  ild  and 
desolating  view,  then  it  is  that  men  of  the  greatest  sensibility  will 
sometimes  forget  to  be  grateful.  But  is  it  true  that  the  earth  at  this 
season  is  so  utterly  destitute  of  the  blessings  of  Heaven,  that  it  pos- 
sesses nothing  that  can  excite  the  emotions  of  gratitude  and  of  piety 
in  the  heart  of  man'?  Certainly  not.  Let  us  only  bestow  more 
attention  upon  the  works  of  nature,  and  we  shall  never  find  occasion 
to  arraign  the  wisdom  of  God. 

Reflect  for  a  moment  upon  the  misery  of  being  exposed  to  the 
rigours  of  winter,  with  no  clothes  to  defend  your  shivering  frame,  no 
fire  tO  cheer  and  to  animate  your  benumbed  body ;  and  then  rejoice 
and  be  grateful  for  the  favours  you  receive.  You  have  every  thing 
that  can  contribute  to  your  comfort.  Though  you  cannot  penetrate 
through  the  veil  wiiich  overshadows  the  creation,  though  the  great 
First  Cause  of  all  things  be  hidden  from  your  view,  rest  assured,  that 
nothing  is  created  in  vain  :  all  tends  to  one  grand  point,  the  glory  of 
God,  and  the  happiness  of  man. 


l^rURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


13 


JANUARY  III. 

GOD   CONTINUALLY    PRESIDES   OVER    HIS  CREATION. 

Not  to  acknowledge  the  greatness  and  wisdom  of  God  in  the  least 
of  his  works,  as  well  as  in  great  and  extraordinary  phenomena, 
betrays  alike  our  ignorance  and  our  weakness.  The  formation  and 
evolution  of  the  child  in  the  mother's  womb  displays  as  much  the 
power  of  God,  as  did  the  creation  of  the  first  man  from  the  dust  of 
the  earth.  Our  own  individual  experience  is  sufficient  to  convince 
us,  that  a  Supreme  Being  suspends  the  thread  of  our  destiny.  We 
cannot  ensure  for  ourselves  another  moment's  existence  ;  a  thousand 
unseen  causes  may  hasten  the  period  of  its  termination ;  what  un- 
known evils  may  not  be  impending  to  stop  the  vital  current,  and 
forbid  the  pure  air  again  to  renovate  our  blood  ! 

Every  man  may  say,  Alas  !  I  feel  my  helpless  state  ;  I  have  no 
power  to  remove  the  infirmities  that  afflict  me,  nor  ability  to  disperse 
the  dangers  that  threaten  ;  subject  to  a  heavy  train  of  bodily  diseases, 
and  mental  imbecility,  I  feel  that,  without  the  support  of  the  Almighty, 
I  should  indeed  be  miserable.  The  wonderful  connexion  between  my 
soul  and  my  body,  the  continual  pulsation  of  my  heart,  the  constant 
secretion  and  circulation  of  various  fluids  in  my  body,  all  depending 
neither  upon  my  will  nor  my  power,  contribute  to  assure  me  there  is 
a  great  and  powerful  Being,  at  whose  command  these  functions  pro- 
ceed with  order  and  regularity,  or  stop,  and  my  present  existence 
ceases.  If  my  breast  still  continues  to  heave,  if  the  ruddy  stream 
still  warms  my  heart,  if  my  muscles  act  with  vigour,  my  senses 
remain  preserved,  it  is  from  God  alone  I  derive  such  choice  blessings. 
Why,  then,  do  I  so  seldom  think,  with  gratitude,  upon  the  ways  of 
Providence  ] 

Ought  not  the  reflections  now  presented  ever  to  be  deeply  graven 
on  the  tablets  of  memory ;  and  should  it  not  be  our  morning  and  our 
evening  care  to  muse  upon,  to  admire,  and  to  hail  with  gratitude,  the 
blessings  of  our  Creator  ? 


JANUARY  IV. 

USES  AND  ADVANTAGES  OF  FIRE. 

iFire  is  a  very  universal  agent  in  perfecting  the  arts,  and  contri- 
buting to  the  comforts  of  life  ;  and  we  find  the  principles  of  it  are 
diffused  throughout  nature  in  water  as  well  as  in  air,  and  in  all  olea- 
ginous substances.  How  useful  to  man  are  those  combustible  mat- 
ters which  supply  him  with  fuel,  and  without  a  sufficiency  of  which 
he  must  suffer  the  greatest  inconvenience,  and  lose  incalculable  ad- 
vantages.   Were  it  not  for  the  fire  which  cheers  us  in  winter,  a  great 

2 


14 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


portion  of  our  time  must  be  passed  in  dreary  darkness :  without  arti- 
ficial light  all  our  occupations  and  our  amusements  must  cease  with 
the  departing  sun  ;  we  should  be  obliged  to  remain  at  rest,  or  to 
wander  with  uncertainty  and  danger  in  midnight  gloom.  Consider 
how  melancholy  our  lot  must  be,  had  we  been  obliged  to  pass  the 
long  evenings  of  winter  without  the  enjoyments  of  society,  and  those 
superior  sources  of  pleasures  and  instruction  derived  from  reading 
and  writing.  How  many  of  the  productions  of  the  earth  would  be 
useless  to  us  were  they  not  softened  and  prepared  by  means  of  fire  ! 
If  fire  was  not  had  recourse  to  by  artists,  how  many  necessities  would 
be  unprovided  for,  and  of  what  benefits  should  we  not  be  deprived  ! 
Without  this  element  we  should  not  be  able  to  give  to  our  garments 
the  briUiancy  of  the  scarlet,  nor  the  richness  of  the  purple  ;  our  me- 
tals, incapable  of  being  melted,  would  remain  useless  in  the  depths  of 
the  earth ;  glass  could  not  be  formed  from  the  sand  ;  the  beautiful 
utensils  now  in  common  use  could  not  have  been  fashioned  from  the 
)delding  clay  ;  nor  could  our  stately  edifices  rear  their  tops  among  the 
clouds,  and  bid  defiance  to  the  elements.  Without  fire,  in  vain  would 
nature  teem  with  riches ;  all  her  treasures  would  be  useless,  and  her 
charms  of  no  avail. 

But  we  have  no  necessity  to  traverse  nature  to  prove  the  blessing 
of  fire  !  Let  us  return  from  our  flight,  and  contemplate  our  ow^n  apart- 
ment. Here,  the  fire  diffuses  a  genial  warmth  through  the  whole 
room,  and  the  air  is  rendered  mild.  Without  the  stimulating  influ- 
ence of  fire,  during  the  strong  frosts,  we  should  become  inactive,  and 
subject  to  many  unpleasant  sensations  ;  the  aged  and  the  weak  would 
perish :  and  what  would  become  of  the  little  infant,  if  the  chilly 
blasts  were  not  tempered  to  its  delicate  limbs  1  Oh  !  unfortunate 
poor  !  ye  who,  with  scarcely  bread  to  support  your  miserable  exist- 
ence, are  at  this  severe  season  obliged  to  deprive  yourselves  of  a  por- 
tion of  that  pittance  to  procure  fuel  to  warm  your  shivering  body ; 
how  I  feel  for  your  wants  !  how  my  heart  bleeds  for  your  distressed 
condition  !  But  your  hard  lot  recalls  to  my  mind  the  great  favours  I 
have  received  from  Heaven,  for  which  I  am  not  sufiSciently  grateful. 
I  feel  the  obligation  I  am  under  to  a  gracious  God  ;  who,  I  pray,  as 
he  has  given  me  the  means,  will  open  my  heart  to  relieve  those  afflic- 
tions in  others  from  which  I  myself  am  exempt.  O  God,  my  Creator 
and  Benefactor,  condescend  still  to  look  down  upon  me  !  Behold,  my 
heart  swells  with  praises  and  thanksgivings  to  thee  my  Et  rnal 
Parent,  the  Author  of  all  the  comforts  which  I  now  enjoy.  Continue 
to  grant  me  the  benign  influence  of  fire  ;  and  may  this  element  never 
become  the  instrument  of  vengeance  to  me  or  my  brethren  ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JANUARY  V. 

AMUSEMENTS  OF  WINTER. 

During  this  season,  which  many  people  imagine  possesses  few 
charms,  each  individual  following  his  inclination  endeavours  to  find 
amusements  to  enhven  the  long  winter  evenings.  Many  pursue  one 
continual  round  of  riot  and  dissipation.  It  is  indeed  truly  lamenta- 
ble to  see  so  many  people,  by  indolence,  or  frivolous  pursuits,  contriv- 
ing to  lose  the  days  already  too  short.  The  course  of  the  day  is 
commonly  filled  with  a  circle  of  occupations,  which  neither  corre- 
spond to  the  dignity  of  man,  nor  the  destination  of  his  soul.  Late  in 
the  morning  the  voluptuary  rises  from  his  bed  ;  during  breakfast  he 
plans  out  the  amusements  of  the  day ;  then  abandoning  himself  to 
every  species  of  idleness,  awaits  the  hour  of  dinner  ;  which  arrived, 
he  gives  himself  up  to  the  pleasures  of  the  table.  G  orged  with  ex- 
cess, he  throws  himself  upon  a  couch  to  recruit  his  exhausted  powers. 
The  hour  comes  when  he  is  to  meet  a  numerous  party.  He  sits 
down  to  play.  For  the  first  time  since  the  sun-beams  irradiated  the 
east,  he  appears  to  possess  a  soul :  w^ith  cards  in  his  hand  the  hourg 
fly  rapidly.  At  length  this  sensual  wretch  quits  his  cards  for  another 
debauch,  and  reels  from  table  to  bed  ;  but  sleep  does  not  gently  over- 
power his  senses,  and  wrap  his  soul  in  sweet  forgetfulness.  Pain  and 
watching  oppress  him,  or  frightful  dreams  disturb  his  troubled  slum-* 
bers. 

Jlow  ingenious  is  man  in  devising  trifling  amusements  to  abridge 
the  few  moments  allotted  him  !  Sometimes  the  pleasures  of  the  chase 
call  him  from  his  home,  that  he  may  enjoy  the  gratification  of  seeing 
the  timid  hare,  and  the  panting  deer,  fly  with  the  speed  of  wind  to 
escape  their  cruel  pursuers  ;  or  that  he  may  have  the  satisfaction  of 
viewing  them  in  their  last  sad  agonies,  torn  and  mangled,  and  hear 
their  piercing  cries,  mingled  with  the  savage  howl  of  dogs  and  men, 
reverberated  from  the  neighbouring  hills. 

The  ball  allures  with  meretricious  charms  ;  and  there  innocence  of 
heart  is  often  exchanged  for  sorrow  and  disease.  At  one  time  feasts 
invite,  at  another  diversions  and  public  places  ;  all  tending  to  mislead 
and  corrupt.  Having  enumerated  a  sufficient  specimen  of  the  amuse-, 
ments  of  winter,  let  me  conclude  by  reminding  my  fellow-creatures 
of  the  part  they  ought  to  act  respecting  such  diversions.  I  wish  not 
to  discourage  and  repress  that  inclination  for  social  intercourse  which, 
particularly  at  this  season  of  the  year,  is  highly  dehghtful ;  but  I 
wish  you  not  to  suffer  it  to  take  such  firm  hold  of  your  mind  as  to  be- 
come a  passion.  Allowing  that  when  you  meet  together  nothing 
passes  that  can  derogate  from  virtue  and  good  manners,  yet  such  par- 
ties may  be  hurtful  by  consuming  too  much  of  your  time,  and  occa^ 
sioning  the  neglect  of  your  domestic  economy.  Pleasure  is  not  the 
business  of  our  lives  ;  the  power  of  obtaining  it  is  granted  us  by  a 
beneficent  God,  to  serve  for  a  relaxation  from  the  severer  duties  of 


CTURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


business  or  study.  To  be  too  eager  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure  is  at 
the  risk  of  never  obtaining  your  end,  or  of  acquiring  that  which  may 
ultimately  produce  sorrow  and  remorse.  Be  very  careful,  then,  with 
what  society  you  mix  ;  lavish  not  your  time  in  those  amusements 
which  you  cannot  enjoy  without  injuring  your  virtue,  your  reputa- 
tion, or  the  peace  of  your  family.  Let  not  those  heedless  pleasures 
that  disturb  your  neighbours,  excite  their  lamentations,  and  fill  them 
with  sorrow,  and  by  which  you  may  be  lost  to  the  duties  of  society 
and  of  religion,  ever  find  access  to  your  heart.  Suffer  not  even  the 
most  innocent  gratifications  to  render  you  insensible  to  the  pure  and 
permanent  pleasures  of  Christianity,  or  to  make  you  dissatisfied  with 
your  more  serious  occupations. 

Oh  God  !  govern  with  thy  gracious  influence  our  hearts  *  and 
gi'ant  that  amidst  earthly  enjoyments  we  may  never  forget  thy  most 
holy  name.  That  in  our  intercourse  with  men,  the  remembrance  of 
thy  presence  may  secure  us  from  temptations,  and  that  from  day  to 
day  we  may  become  more  and  more  devoted  to  the  exercise  of  our 
duties  as  Christians,  parents,  and  citizens  ;  whilst  we  shun  those 
fleeting  pleasures  which  so  easily  allure  us  from  the  path  of  rectitude, 
and  diminish  our  zeal  for  good  works.  What  inducement  can  we 
have  to  seek  for  frivolous  amusements,  when  we  possess  within  our- 
selves the  sources  of  the  most  pure  and  refined  pleasures  1  The  con- 
templation of  the  great  works  of  nature  at  all  times  is  grand,  and 
fills  the  mind  with  wonder  and  reverence  for  the  Creator.  In  winter, 
as  well  as  in  the  other  seasons,  they  shine  forth  equally  manifest. 
The  starry  heavens,  the  fields,  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  covered  with 
enow,  inspire  the  noblest  and  most  sublime  ideas,  create  a  constant 
succession  of  pleasure,  and  elevate  and  dignify  the  soul. 


JANUARY  VL 

god's  providential  care  of  the  animal  creation  during 

WINTER. 

Millions  of  rational  beings,  dispersed  among  the  various  nations  of 
the  earth,  are  provided  at  this  season  with  every  thing  necessary  to 
supply  their  wants,  or  add  to  their  comforts.  But  Divine  goodness  is 
not  extended  to  man  alone,  it  is  diffused  over  the  whole  creation  ; 
and  infinitely  more  numerous  than  the  children  of  Adam  are  the  ani- 
mated beings  partaking  of  it.  Admirable  as  is  the  preservation  of 
the  human  species,  God  gives  still  greater  proofs  of  his  wisdom  and 
power  in  the  care  which  he  manifests  for  the  brute  creation.  That 
the  innumerable  tribes  of  animals  existing  on  this  globe  find,  during 
the  continuance  of  summer,  food  and  shelter,  is  not  surprising ;  all 
nature  teeming  with  fertility  conduces  to  this  great  end ;  but  that  in 
this  season  of  the  year  such  numbers  of  creatures — birds,  quadrupeds, 
reptiles,  msects,  and  fishes — should  continue  to  exist,  must  demand 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


17 


he  admiration  of  every  reflecting  being.  Nature  has  provided  most 
inimals  with  a  covering  to  defend  them  from  the  winter's  cold,  as 
kvell  as  from  the  summer's  heat.  Those  wild  animals  which  dwell 
amid  the  forest  and  the  desert  are  so  admirably  organized,  that  their 
hair,  as  summer  advances,  begins  to  fall  from  their  skin,  and  grows 
again  in  winter  with  such  luxuriance  as  to  become  a  thick  fur,  capa- 
ble of  preserving  ihem  from  the  severity  of  the  season. 

When  cold  renders  a  place  of  security  requisite,  other  species  of 
animals  find  retreats  ;  some  under  the  bark  of  trees,  others  in  the 
crevices  of  old  buildings,  and  some  within  the  clefts  of  rocks,  and  in 
the  caverns  of  mountains.  It  is  there  they  either  live  upon  the  food 
which  instinct  has  taught  them  to  provide,  or  they  are  nourished  and 
supported  by  the  fat  which  they  had  previously  secreted,  or  they  pass 
the  tedious  length  of  winter  in  a  state  of  torpescent  insensibility, 
each  according  to  the  habits  of  its  tribe.  Birds  at  the  approach  of 
winter  retire  to  sheltered  places  ;  and  some  species  possess  an  instinct, 
which  leads  them  at  the  commencement  of  cold  to  quit  the  frozen 
regions  of  the  north,  winging  their  bold  and  arduous  flight  for  more 
genial  climes. 

The  resources  of  those  animals  which  do  not  change  their  abode 
in  winter  are  various.  Birds  feed  upon  the  insects  which  they  are 
taught  to  peck  among  the  moss  and  in  the  clefts  of  the  bark  of  trees  ; 
many  animals  live  upon  the  provisions  they  have  providently  stored  in 
their  dens  during  the  summer,  others  are  obliged  to  burrow  beneath 
the  ice  and  the  snow  to  find  support.  Many  species  of  insects  and 
of  fishes,  though  confined  within  marshes  stiflf  by  the  frost,  and  in 
rivers  whose  surfaces  are  frozen,  yet  preserve  their  vitality. 

Let  us  then  unite  in  adoration  to  the  all-powerful  and  merciful 
Creator,  whose  majesty  and  whose  grandeur  cover  all  the  creatures  of 
the  earth  ;  all  of  which,  from  the  stately  elephant  to  the  most  feeble 
and  minute  animal  under  the  heavens,  owe  to  him  their  life,  their 
abode,  and  their  support.  Where  nature  seems  barren  and  destitute 
of  resources,  he  still  finds  means  to  make  her  productive.  Let  these 
considerations  strengthen  our  confidence  in  God,  and  banish  from  our 
minds  all  doubts  of  the  continuance  of  his  protection  and  support 
during  the  rigours  of  winter. 

That  God  \Yho  provides  a  covering  for  animals,  who  points  out  to 
them  secure  retreats  in  the  caves  of  the  mountains,  will  also  know 
how  to  clothe  thee,  O  man  !  And  he  who  supphes  them  with  food 
and  with  warmth,  even  beneath  the  ice  and  the  snow,  will  ever  be 
thy  support,  and  thou  wilt  find  a  sure  harbour,  where  thy  days  may 
ghde  in  peace  and  in  tranquillity,  safe  from  storms  and  commotions. 
Let  such  reflections  as  these  raise  in  thy  bosom  a  desire  to  imitate,  as 
far  as  thy  abilities  permit,  the  generous  cares  of  Divine  Providence, 
by  contributing  to  the  preservation  and  happiness  of  thy  fellow-crea- 
tures, and  of  the  whole  animal  creation. 


2* 


c 


18 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JANUARY  VII. 

THE  BEAUTIES  OF  THE  WINTER. 

Every  season  has  its  peculiar  pleasures  and  beauties  ;  and  however 
destitute  of  charms  winter  may  appear  to  some  people,  it  has  still  a 
portion  to  interest  the  feelings.  For  the  benefit  of  those  who,  from 
prejudice  and  ignorance,  murmur  and  repine  against  this  season, 
I  will  here  enumerate  some  of  the  particular  pleasures  which  it 
offers  us. 

How  delightful  is  the  face  of  nature  when  the  morning  light  first 
dawns  upon  a  country  embosomed  in  snow  1  The  thick  mist  which 
obscured  the  earth,  and  concealed  every  object  from  our  view,  at  once 
vanishes.  How  beautiful  are  the  tops  of  the  trees,  hoary  with  frost? 
The  hills  and  the  valleys,  reflecting  the  sun-beams,  assume  various 
tints  :  all  nature  is  animated  by  the  genial  influence  of  the  bright 
luminary,  which  now  invites  the  warbling  songsters  from  the  groves 
to  make  jocund  the  day  with  their  harmonious  notes.  If  nature, 
during  the  absence  of  the  sun,  droops  and  is  overspread  with  gloom, 
when  the  horizon  is  again  illumined  with  cheering  rays  she  resumes 
her  wonted  gaiety,  and,  robed  in  white,  delights  the  traveller  with 
her  novel  and  delicate  appearance.  How  beautiful  to  see  the  white 
hills,  the  forests,  and  the  groves  all  sparkling !  What  a  delightful 
combination  these  objects  present !  Observe  the  brilliancy  of  those 
hedges  !  See  the  lofty  trees  bending  beneath  their  dazzling  burden  ! 
The  surface  of  the  earth  appears  one  vast  plain  mantled  in  white  and 
splendid  array. 

Little,  indeed,  are  the  feelings  of  those  to  be  envied  upon  whom 
these  grand  phenomena  make  no  impression ;  beings  who  can  con- 
template with  indifference  a  spectacle  which  ought  to  gladden  their 
hearts  and  fill  their  souls  with  the  majesty  of  Heaven,  and  the  bound- 
less wisdom,  and  immeasurable  goodness  of  an  all-powerful  God. 
Such  reflections,  arising  from  the  contemplation  of  his  works,  always 
produce  satisfaction  and  delight.  The  heavens  may  lower,  the  agi- 
tation of  the  air  portend  a  storm,  and  nature,  losing  her  sweetest 
attractions,  appear  bleak,  wild,  and  desolate ;  yet  the  soul,  retiring 
within  itself,  derives  energy  and  an  exalted  pleasure  in  tracing, 
by  his  works,  the  power,  the  wisdom,  and  the  benignity  of  the  God- 
head. 


JANUARY  VIII. 

OF  THE  VEGETABLES  WHICH  PRESERVE  THEIR  VERDURE  THROUGH 

THE  WINTER. 

At  this  season  of  the  year  tlie  earth,  losing  the  variety  of  charms 
which  so  lately  beautified  her  surface,  seems  solitary  and  destitute  ; 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


19 


and  may  be  compared  to  a  tender  mother,  who  has  been  bereft  of  her 
dearest  children,  and  is  seen  to  mourn  and  lament.  But  she  is  not 
deprived  of  all  her  offspring  ;  here  and  there  plants  are  seen  to  brave 
the  rigours  of  winter,  and  by  their  verdure  relieve  the  sterility  of  the 
scene.  Here  the  hawthorn's  tempting  berries  offer  the  feathered 
race  a  sweet  repast ;  the  ever-verdant  laurustinus  now  delights  with 
its  clustering  flowers  ;  and  the  never-fading  yew-tree  forms  a  dark 
shade.  The  creeping  ivy  still  winds  around  the  mouldering  battle- 
ments, and  defies  the  whistling  wind  and  the  storm's  loud  roar  ;  the 
laurel  blooms  with  verdure  undiminished;  and  the  lowly  box  looks 
green  above  the  snow.  These,  with  many  other  plants,  preserve 
their  verdant  hue  amid  every  severity  of  season  and  rigour  of  cli- 
mate. They  may  present  a  pleasing  emblem  of  the  ever-durable 
advantages  he  possesses,  whose  mind  is  amply  stored,  and  whose 
amiable  disposition  makes  all  around  him  smile  with  joy  and  plea- 
sure. The  splendour  of  dress,  and  the  profusions  of  ornaments, 
which  dazzle  and  fascinate  the  weak  and  the  vulgar,  are  vain  and 
transitory  ;  colours,  that  vie  with  the  rainbow  in  brilliancy,  fade  ;  the 
pride  of  youth,  beauty  smiling  with  every  grace  and  symmetry  of 
form,  flutter  awhile  amid  the  sun-beams,  and  are  seen  no  more  ;  but 
the  charms  of  virtue  last  forever.  The  man  who  fears  God,  'resem- 
bles a  tree,  which,  planted  on  the  banks  of  a  rivulet,  as  it  grows  to 
maturity  expands,  and  stretches  forth  its  branches  far  round  with  un- 
fading verdure,  and  produces  its  fruits  in  season  ;  it  ofTers  an  ever- 
refreshing  shade,  and  the  weary  traveller  blesses  it.' 

How  amiable  is  the  truly  pious  man  !  His  ornaments  are  within, 
and  his  virtue  shines  forth  with  beauty  unborrowed  of  the  external 
and  adventitious  smiles  of  fortune.  The  storms  of  adversity  may 
shake,  but  can  never  overpower  him ;  though  for  a  moment  cast 
down,  his  bold  front  soon  towers  above  the  tempest.  If  misfortune 
darkens  his  horizon,  and  poverty  frowns,  he  is  still  blessed  with  riches 
that  wealth  cannot  purchase — the  love  of  God,  a  good  conscience, 
and  the  bright  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality. 

This  reflection  leads  me  to  the  idea  of  a  benevolent  old  man,  who 
in  the  winter  of  his  life  resembles  those  plants  which  at  that  season 
still  preserve  their  verdure.  How  many  storms  of  fortune  has  he  not 
braved  with  constancy  !  How  many  dear  attracting  objects  have 
withered  in  his  sight !  He  yet  exists,  whilst  many  of  his  contempora- 
ries are  mingled  with  the  silent  dust.  A  mild  cheerfulness  still  plays 
on  his  cheeks.  Though  his  forehead  be  wrinkled,  and  the  strong 
hand  of  time  mark  his  venerable  countenance,  and  render  feeble  his 
frame,  his  virtues  recompense  his  lost  vigour,  he  lives  again  in  his 
ofTspring,  and  his  wisdom,  his  integrity,  and  his  experience,  are  held 
up  as  a  noble  example  to  his  children's  children. 


20 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JANUARY  IX. 

SINGULAR  STATE  OF  MAN  DURING  THE  TIME  OF  SLEEP. 

We  need  not  have  recourse  to  extraordinary  events  to  be  convinced 
of  the  inconceivable  power  and  wisdom  of  God ;  we  have  only  to 
look  around  us.  He  shines  conspicuously  in  the  least  of  his  works. 
Of  the  many  remarkable  things  of  which  he  is  the  author,  I  wish  to 
call  your  attention  to  one,  which,  because  it  daily  occurs,  is  not  the 
less  deserving  of  your  observation.  Often  as  you  have  been  refreshed 
by  sleep,  perhaps  you  have  never  reflected  upon  this  singular  state, 
nor  regarded  it  as  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  effects  of  Divine 
goodness.  When  sleep  overpowers  us  with  a  pleasing  forgetfulness, 
we  do  not  think  it  wonderful ;  we  believe  our  body  is  formed  for  such 
a  state,  and  that  the  inclination,  prompting  us  to  indulge  in  sleep, 
proceeds  from  natural  causes.  But  perhaps  we  may  with  propriety 
consider  sleep  under  two  points  of  view.  On  the  one  hand,  there  is 
nothing  to  be  observed  which  may  not  result  from  the  peculiar  nature 
of  our  organization  ;  on  the  other,  there  is  something  so  striking  and 
wonderful  in  this  natural  eflfect,  that  any  labour  bestowed  upon  the 
consideration  of  it  will  be  amply  compensated. 

Sleep  comes  upon  us  imperceptibly ;  if  we  endeavour  to  ascertain 
the  exact  moment,  the  attention  we  give  w^ill  be  an  obstacle  to  its 
approach  ;  nor  shall  we  be  able  to  sleep  till  all  such  ideas  are  dissi- 
pated. Sleep  comes  unsoh  cited  ;  the  more  efforts  we  make  to  obtain 
it,  the  less  likely  are  we  to  succeed.  God  has  so  appointed  sleep,  that 
it  becomes  an  agreeable  necessity ;  and  he  has  rendered  it  independ- 
ent of  our  reason  and  of  oar  will.  Let  us  pursue  this  consideration, 
and  muse  upon  the  wonderful  state  we  are  in  during  sleep.  We  live 
without  being  conscious  of  our  existence.  The  functions  all  act  with 
their  wonted  regularity.  The  activity  of  the  soul,  for  a  space,  seems 
to  be  suspended  ;  the  senses  are  benumbed,  the  muscles  inactive,  and 
all  voluntary  motion  ceases.  In  short,  the  state  of  sleep  is  truly 
wonderful,  and  very  much  resembles  that  of  death  :  who  can  think 
of  sleep  without  being  at  the  same  time  reminded  of  death ;  wliich, 
sooner  or  later,  will  imperceptibly  steal  upon  us,  or  seize  us  without 
warning,  unwished  for  and  unexpected  ? 

The  senses,  whose  functions  are  suspended  during  sleep,  are  equally 
incapable  of  action  at  the  near  approach  of  death.  The  ideas  also 
are  clouded  ;  we  notice  not  surrounding  objects,  and  a  dark  oblivion 
veils  our  faculties.  Let  devotion  often  present  this  meditation  to  our 
minds.  Whenever  we  seek  for  repose  upon  the  downy  pillow,  let  us 
reflect  upon  the  blessings  of  sleep,  and  look  up  with  gratitude  to  Him, 
who  during  our  seclusion  from  toil  and  labour,  watches  over  our 
slumbers,  and  preserves  from  dangers  our  helpless  condition.  For,  it 
a  protecting  hand  did  not  shield  us,  to  how  many  perils  might  we  not 
be  subjected  during  the  night-season  ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


21 


JANUARY  X. 

OF  THE   ADVANTAGES   OF  OUR  CLIMATE. 

Have  we  a  proper  sense  of  the  great  happiness  which  we  enjoy  in 
so  many  respects  ?  The  blessings  of  our  Heavenly  Father  are  every 
where  poured  out  upon  us.  The  view  of  ample  forests,  of  the  rising 
hills,  and  the  extended  meadows  ;  the  pure  and  temperate  breezes  we 
inhale,  the  seasons,  with  their  accompanying  variations,  and  different 
attractions,  all  denote  the  unspeakable  beneficence  of  God,  and  his 
wish  for  the  happiness  of  man.  How  then  can  we  ever  complain  of 
the  hardness  of  our  condition,  accuse  the  Almighty  of  a  partial  distri- 
bution of  his  fav^ours,  or  murmur  because  the  summer  declines,  and 
the  rays  of  the  sun  do  not  for  ever  beam  upon  our  soil,  nor  an  equal 
degree  of  warmth  cheer  the  inhabitants  of  our  zone  ?  What  ingrati- 
tude, and  what  ignorance  !  We  know  not  what  we  desire,  nor  of  what 
we  complain.  Seeing  that  God  has  peculiarly  favoured  our  climate, 
is  it  tliroiigh  pride  or  inadvertency  that  we  acknowledge  not  his  good- 
ness ?  We  often  repine  at  the  rigours  of  winter,  and  envy  those  who 
know^  no  vicissitude  of  season;  but  let  us  remember,  that  what  we 
most  dread,  the  keen  air  of  winter,  perhaps,  renders  our  climate  the 
most  salubrious  of  any  on  the  globe.  Observe  the  languid,  exhausted 
frame  of  the  inhabitants  beneath  a  cloudless  sun,  the  diseases  that 
prey  upon  them,  and  the  indolence  which  they  are  of  necessity  obliged 
to  endure.  When  even  the  cold  in  our  climate  is  felt  most  severely, 
we  may  comfort  ourselves  that  this,  compared  with  the  cold  of  more 
northerl}^  countries,  is  no  more  than  the  temperature  of  autumn.  How 
different  is  our  lot  from  that  of  the  shivering  natives  near  the  north 
pole  !  Here,  even  in  winter,  the  friendly  rays  of  the  sun  enliven 
the  days,  and  incite  universal  gaiety.  There,  the  day,  dreary  as  the 
night,  receives  no  light  from  the  sun.  Here,  in  perfect  security, 
whether  reposing  in  our  beds,  or  indulging  over  the  blazing  hearth, 
we  defy  the  rigours  of  the  season ;  the  charms  of  society  soften  its 
asperities,  and  the  constant  succession  of  day  and  night  cheers  and 
revives  ;  but  in  those  frozen  regions,  the  misei'able  huts  form  a  poor 
shelter  from  the  pitiless  pelting  of  the  storm,  and  the  wild  savages  of 
the  woods  and  the  deserts  keep  the  starved  inhabitants  in  a  state  of 
constant  alarm  and  danger,  by  the  loudness  of  their  roar,  and  the  fre- 
quency of  their  wild  horrific  cry;  and  with  them  a  perpetual  winter 
reigns.  Whilst  we,  after  a  few  stormy  months,  are  visited  by  a  season 
whose  charms  console  us  for  all  that  we  have  suffered,  and  amid  the 
joy  and  harmony  inspired  by  a  vernal  sun,  we  forget  the  name  of  win- 
ter. Let  us,  then,  bless  the  beneficent  hand  which  has  assigned  us  so 
happy  an  inheritance  ;  let  us  glorify  God,  who  has  regulated  our 
present  allotment  with  so  much  wisdom  and  goodness  ;  and  let  us 
joyfully  render  thanks  unto  Him  who  has  fixed  our  abode  in  a  climate, 
where,  in  each  succeeding  season,  his  bounty  is  displayed  with 
magnificence,  and  diffused  with  abundance,  throughout  the  creation. 


32 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JANUARY  XI. 

SNOW  CONDUCES  TO  THE  EARTH's  FERTILITY. 

Regarding  appearances  only,  we  might  be  induced  to  say,  that 
snow,  so  far  from  being  useful  to  the  earth,  was  by  its  cold  and  mois- 
tm'e  of  detriment  to  trees  and  plants.  But  the  experience  of  centuries 
teaches  us,  that  to  preserve  grain,  plants,  and  vegetables,  from  the 
effects  of  cold,  nature  can  give  no  better  protection  than  by  shielding 
them  with  snow,  which,  though  seemingly  cold,  yet  shelters  the 
earth's  surface  from  freezing  winds,  and  preserves  a  due  degree  of 
heat  for  the  preservation  of  seeds. 

Thus  God  provides  what  is  necessary  for  the  support  and  nutriment 
of  the  works  of  his  creation.  Nature  is  always  active,  even  when  she 
appears  in  a  state  of  perfect  quiescence,  and  renders  us  real  services  at 
the  time  she  appears  most  to  deny  them.  Observe  the  providence  of 
God  exerted  for  our  good  in  the  roughest  season,  and  preparing,  with- 
out any  assistance  on  our  part,  all  the  treasures  of  nature.  With 
such  proofs  of  Divine  protection,  who  can  doubt  or  mistrust  ?  The 
wonders  that  God  performs  in  nature  every  winter,  he  also  daily  effects 
for  the  preservation  of  mankind.  What  at  first  often  appears  useless 
or  prejudicial,  ultimately  contributes  to  our  felicity  ;  and  often  when 
we  imagine  that  God  has  ceased  to  interest  himself  in  our  welfare,  he 
is,  perhaps,  completing  a  part  of  his  glorious  scheme,  impenetrable  to 
our  view,  but  which  unfolding,  may  be  the  means  of  delivering  us 
from  some  impending  calamity,  or  procure  us  some  benefit  beyond  the 
flight  of  hope  to  aspire  after.  Snow,  however,  is  not  merely  destined 
as  a  covering  to  the  earth,  it  tends  also  to  assist  its  fertility,  by  pene- 
trating beneath  the  surface,  and  supplying  a  proper  degree  of  moisture. 

'  As  the  rain  cometh  down,  and  the  snoAV  from  heaven,  and  return- 
eth  not  thither  again,  but  watereth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it  bring 
forth  and  bud,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower,  and  bread  to  the 
eater  ;  so  shall  my  word  be  tliat  goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth ;  it 
shall  not  return  unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that  which  I 
please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it.' — Isaiah 
Iv.  10,  11. 

We  live  in  an  age  in  which  this  prediction,  through  the  mouth  of  the 
prophet,  is  accomplished  in  a  remarkable  manner.  Whole  provinces 
and  kingdoms,  which  formerly,  shrouded  in  the  gloom  of  ignorance, 
of  superstition,  and  of  credulity,  were  oppressed  by  slavery,  and  de- 
luded by  the  dreams  of  idolatry,  in  this  glorious  day  of  gospel  dispen- 
sation, cheered  by  the  blessed  hght  from  heaven,  have  emerged  from 
darkness  and  obscurity,  have  aroused  their  slumbering  faculties,  and 
have  embraced  the  great  truths  of  Christianity.  Over  how  many 
obdurate  hearts  has  it  triumphed !  How  many  good  works,  how  many 
blessed  fruits  of  piety,  has  it  brought  to  maturity !  May  the  Divine 
grace  be  so  poured  into  our  hearts,  that  we  may  ever  feel  its  quick- 
ening, saving  influence ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  23 


JANUARY  XII. 

CONTEMPLATION  OF  THE  HEAVENLY  BODIES. 

The  heavens  present  to  our  view,  in  the  night  season,  a  scene  of 
grandeur  and  subhmity,  which  forcibly  impresses  the  attentive  obser- 
ver of  nature.  But  how  few  are  capable  of  receiving  the  great  and 
noble  ideas  which  the  contemplation  of  the  firmament  calls  forth  in  a 
philosophic  mind  !  How  few  even  observe  it  at  all !  This,  I  imagine, 
can  only  proceed  from  ignorance ;  for  it  is  impossible  to  take  an 
extensive  range  through  nature,  and  view  the  majestic  objects  every 
where  presented,  without  at  once  being  led  through  nature  up  to 
nature's  God,  and  feeling  the  power  of  the  mind  expand  in  our  vast 
flight  through  the  regions  of  space,  till  we  are  lost  in  admiration  and 
rapture,  and  feel  a  celestial  radiance  illume  our  souls.  Oh  that  every 
human  being  would  partake  of  this  Divine  pleasure  !  that  they  would 
elevate  their  thoughts  beyond  the  confines  of  earth,  and  ranging 
above  the  spheres,  repose  on  heaven !  It  is  enough  merely  to  name 
those  immense  bodies,  each  in  itself  a  world  revolving  in  space,  to  fill 
the  mind  with  awe  and  astonishment  at  the  mighty  power  of  the 
Creator. 

In  the  centre  of  the  planetary  system,  the  Sun,  more  than  a  million 
times  larger  than  our  earth,  and  at  the  distance  of  82  millions  of 
miles,  rolls  his  majestic  orb,  round  which  revolve  seven  planets  with 
their  attendant  satellites,  all  deriving  their  lustre  from  the  central 
luminary.  These  planets  are  known  to  the  astronomers  by  the  names 
of  Saturn,  Jupiter,  Mars,  Venus,  the  Earth,  Mercury,  and  Herschel.* 
Of  these,  the  nearest  to  the  sun  is  Mercury ;  it  is  much  smaller  than 
the  earth,  its  diameter  being  only  2600  miles,  and  from  its  proximity 
to  the  sun,  round  which  it  performs  its  course  in  eighty-eight  days, 
rolling  at  the  rate  of  95,000  miles  an  hour,  is  seldom  visible  to  our 
eye  :  the  light  and  heat  it  derives  from  the  sun  are  nearly  seven  times 
as  great  as  ours,  being  distant  from  that  luminary  only  32  millions  of 
miles.  Next  comes  Venus,  completing  her  revolution  round  the  sun 
in  about  seven  months,  at  the  computed  distance  of  59  millions 
of  miles ;  she  is  larger  than  our  earth,  and  shines  when  west  of  the 
sun  as  a  morning  star,  and  when  east  as  an  evening  star,  with 
astonishing  splendour,  moving  hourly  in  her  orbit  69,000  miles. 
The  third  circle  is  the  orbit  of  the  Earth,  revolving  round  the  sun  at 
the  rate  of  51,000  miles  an  hour,  which  though  little  more  than  half 
as  swift  as  the  motion  of  Mercury  in  his  orbit,  is  one  hundred  and 
twenty  times  swifter  than  that  of  a  cannon-ball.  The  Earth's  diame- 
ter is  7970  miles,  and  the  moon  rolls  round  it  as  an  attendant  satellite, 
performing  her  course  in  29  days,  12  hours,  and  44  minutes.  The 
moon's  diameter  is  2180  miles,  and  her  distance  from  the  Earth's 
centre,  240,000.   The  planet  next  in  order  is  Mars,  about  125  millions 


*  Discovered  first  at  Bath,  March  17,  1781,  by  the  pliilosopher  whose  name  it^bears. 


24 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


of  miles  distant  from  the  sun,  and  travelling  round  him  in  686  dayg 
and  23  hours,  at  the  rate  of  47  millions  of  miles  every  hour.  The 
diameter  of  Mars  is  4444  miles,  his  quantity  of  light  and  heat  equal 
but  to  half  of  ours,  and  the  sun  appears  to  him  but  half  as  large  as  to 
us.  The  fifth  and  the  largest  of  all  the  planets,  is  Jupiter,  distant 
from  the  sun  426  millions  of  miles,  and  going  every  hour  in  his  orbit 
25,000  miles.  He  finishes  his  annual  period  in  11  of  our  years,  314 
days,  and  12  hours.  He  is  above  one  thousand  times  larger  than  our 
earth,  and  is  surrounded  by  faint  substances  called  belts  ;  they  vary 
considerably  in  appearance,  and  sometimes  disappear  altogether ; 
hence  they  have  been  supposed  to  be  clouds.  Four  moons  revolve 
round  the  planet  Jupiter,  so  that  scarcely  any  part  of  his  immense  orb 
remains  unenlightened,  except  the  poles,  whence  only  the  farthest 
moons  can  be  seen  ;  but  light  is  there  least  required,  because  the  sun 
constantly  circulates  in  or  near  the  horizon,  and  may  be  kept  in  view 
of  both  poles  by  the  refraction  of  Jupiter's  atmosphere.  Saturn  is 
about  780  millions  of  miles  distant  from  the  sun,  and  travelling  at  the 
rate  of  18,000  miles  every  hour,  performs  his  annual  circuit  in  29 
years,  167  days,  and  five  hours  of  our  time.  He  is  nearly  six  hun- 
dred times  larger  than  our  earth,  his  diameter  being  67,000  miles  : 
and  he  is  surrounded  by  a  broad  ring,  round  the  outer  circumference  of 
which  revolves  five  attendant  moons.*  The  sun  shines  on  one  side  of 
Saturn's  ring  for  nearly  fifteen  years  without  setting,  and  as  long  on 
the  other  in  its  turn.  The  last  known  planet  in  our  system  is 
Herschel,  distant  from  the  sun  about  1565  millions  of  miles,  and 
performing  his  annual  circuit  in  83  years,  140  days,  and  8  hours  of 
our  time,  at  the  rate  of  7000  miles  an  hour.  His  diameter  being 
34,000  miles,  he  is  about  eighty  times  larger  than  our  earth.  Dr. 
Herschel  has  discovered  six  attendant  moons,  and  supposes  there  may 
be  more. 

Such  is  the  stupendous  grandeur  of  the  planetary  system;  yet  the 
sun,  with  all  his  accompanying  planets,  forms  but  a  very  small  part 
of  the  universe.  Each  star,  which  to  us  appears  scarcely  larger  or 
more  brilliant  than  the  diamond,  equals  the  sun  in  magnitude  and  in 
splendour,  and  is  in  itself  a  world,  and  the  centre  of  a  planetary  system. 
That  they  shine  with  their  own  and  not  a  borrowed  light  is  demon- 
strable by  their  immense  distance  from  the  sun,  which  renders  it 
impossible  for  them  to  be  illumined  by  his  rays  :  a  cannon-ball  shot 
off  from  the  sun  w^ould  not  reach  the  nearest  fixed  star  in  600,000 
years ;  hence  each  may  be  considered  as  a  sun  :  and  he  who  imagines 
that  such  glorious  luminaries  were  formed  to  shine  with  an  ineffec- 
tual light,  can  have  but  a  very  contracted  idea  of  the  Almighty  power 
and  wisdom.  The  number  of  stars  in  either  hemisphere  visible  to  the 
naked  eye  is  not  more  than  a  thousand  ;  with  the  assistance  of  a  good 
telescope  three  thousand  may  be  perceived,  and,  could  better  instru- 
ments be  procured,  there  is  every  probability  of  thousands  more  existing ; 

*  Dr.  Herschel  has  discovered  two  other  moons  belonging  to  Saturn,  so  that  there  are 
now  seven  moons  attendant  on  that  planet. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


25 


,jay,  some  very  profound  philosophers  liave  supposed  there  are  stars  at 
mch  inconceivable  distances,  that  their  light  has  not  yet  reached  the 
earth  since  its  creation,  although  the  velocity,  with  which  light 
passes,  is  a  million  times  greater  than  that  of  a  cannon-ball.  Thus, 
though  a  man  may  measure  the  universe  with  his  telescope,  he  can 
form  only  a  very  inadequate  idea  of  its  amazing  extent. 

What  a  noble,  what  an  august  subject  for  meditation  !  Though  the 
mind  of  man  cannot  yet  bear  to  soar  with  the  steady  flight  of  the 
eagle  through  the  boundless  regions  of  space  ;  though  he  cannot  yet 
grasp  within  his  span  the  sublime  view"  of  orb  encircling  orb,  each  in 
itself  a  luminary,  multipUed  without  end,  attended  by  millions  of 
worlds,  all  revolving  in  matchless  order,  and  harmonious  regularity, 
each  in  his  silent  course,  with  varied  motion ;  some  whirling  with  a 
rapidity  our  senses  cannot  conceive,  others  less  distant  performing 
their  circles  with  less  velocity  ;  and  all  these  worlds  containing 
myriads  of  intelligent  beings  in  different  states  of  felicity  and  per- 
fectibility. 

If  then  the  utrnost  stretch  of  the  human  faculties,  the  utmost 
vigour  of  our  reason,  cannot  comprehend  the  totality  of  these  works, 
nor  our  imagination  expand  even  beyond  our  ow^n  system,  how  can 
we  pretend  to  scan  that  Almighty  Being,  at  whose  word  order  arose 
out  of  confusion,  chaos  was  converted  into  elements,  and  the  starry- 
spheres  began  to  move  through  the  heavens.* 


JANUARY  XIII. 

DISCOVERIES  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  MADE  BY  THE  MICROSCOPE. 

The  wonders  of  nature  are  displayed  in  the  minutest  as  well  as  in 
the  largest  objects  ;  whether  we  consider  the  structure  of  the  mite,  or 
that  of  the  towering  elephant,  we  shall  find  her  alike  excellent :  she 
has  formed  them  both  with  the  same  degree  of  propriety  of  construc- 
tion. It  is  our  senses  which  are  not  sufficiently  acute  to  perceive  the 
organization  of  very  small  bodies,  which  often  escape  our  observation, 
unless  we  have  recourse  to  foreign  assistance.  The  microscope  has 
opened  to  us  a  new  world  of  insects  and  vegetables  ;  it  has  shown  us, 
that  objects,  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  exist,  having  figure,  extension, 
and  different  parts  :  some  pxamples  of  which  we  shall  produce,  that 
we  may  have  more  causes  to  admire  and  praise  the  wisdom  of  God. 
Every  grain  of  sand,  when  examined  by  the  naked  eye  appears  round, 
but  with  the  help  of  a  glass  we  observe  each  grain  differs  from  the 
other,  both  in  size  and  in  figure :  some  of  them  are  perfectly  round, 
others  square,  some  conical,  and  the  major  part  of  an  irregular  form. 

♦  As  the  above  account  differs  from  the  original  more  than  even  a  hberal  translation 
will  authorize,  it  is  right  to  state,  that  considerable  errors  were  found,  and  had  been  con- 
tinued by  the  preceding  translators  ;  to  correct  which  in  the  present  edition,  the  worki 
of  Newton,  of  Ferguson,  and  of  Euler,  have  been  consulted. — E. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


What  is  still  more  astonishing,  by  microscopes,  which  magnify 
objects  millions  of  times  more  than  their  natural  size,  we  can  discover, 
in  the  grains  of  sand,  a  new  animal  world  ;  for  within  their  cavities 
dwell  various  insects.  In  cheese  are  found  innumerable  animalculae, 
called  mites,  which  to  the  naked  eye  appear  as  points,  whilst,  seen 
through  a  microscope,  they  are  found  to  be  insects  of  a  very  singular 
form  and  structure  ;  they  have  not  only  a  mouth,  eyes,  and  feet,  but 
their  transparent  body  is  covered  with  long  hairs,  sharp,  and  formed 
like  needles.*  In  the  vegetable  kingdom  we  are  presented  with  a 
thick  forest  of  trees  and  plants,  bearing  leaves,  branches,  flowers,  and 
fruits  ;  the  rudiments  of  all  which  beautiful  objects  were  once  hidden 
beneath  the  mould :  little  as  we  should  have  expected  to  find  these 
in  such  a  bed,  as  little  should  we  have  supposed  the  dust  upon  the 
wings  of  a  butterfly  to  be  minute  feathers,  or  the  bloom  of  a  peach  to 
be  a  collection  of  insects,  had  not  the  microscope  furnished  us  with 
this  intelligence. 

Thus  we  see  the  power  of  God  is  great  in  those  things  which  igno- 
rance makes  us  regard  as  minute ;  for  however  small  the  minutest 
animalcule  appears  to  us,  we  have  reason  to  believe  there  are  objects 
which  appear  to  it  as  small  as  it  does  to  us.  By  the  view  which  we 
have  just  been  taking,  we  shall  also  find  the  subjects  of  nature  to  be 
much  more  numerous  than  we  had  imagined.  Though  we  are  ac- 
quainted with  many  thousand  species  of  plants  and  insects,  how  many 
more  are  there  yet  hidden  from  our  researches !  If  we  could  explore 
the  vast  abyss  of  the  sea,  or  search  the  bottom  of  rivers,  penetrate 
within  the  numerous  forests,  at  present  the  haunt  of  savages  and 
reptiles,  w^hat  additions  should  w^e  not  make  to  our  present  limited 
collection,  and  find  new  causes  to  admire  the  wonderful  works  of 
God! 


JANUARY  XIV. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  NIGHT. 

When  the  sun  hath  withdrawn  his  friendly  light  from  us,  and  dark- 
ness has  obscured  the  face  of  nature,  we  are  doubtless  deprived  of 
some  pleasures.  Nevertheless,  we  have  no  cause  to  complain  of  this 
arrangement.  As  the  mixture  of  pleasure  and  pain,  the  alternation 
of  good  and  evil,  are  wisely  ordered  ;  so  also  we  must  acknowledge 
the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in  the  remarkable  variation  which 
is  observed  in  our  climate :  and  we  must  allow  that  the  seeming  in- 

*  The  view  of  a  frog  through  a  solar  microscope  is  strikingly  beautiful ;  from  the 
transparency  of  its  skin,  the  blood  is  seen  to  circulate  in  the  vessels  in  a  manner  inde- 
scribably wonderful  and  brilliant.  The  physiologist  is  likewise  indebted  to  the  micro- 
scope for  his  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  red  particles  of  the  blood  ;  but,  owing  to  a 
difference  of  glasses,  or  some  imperfection  in  the  optic  nerve,  there  is  yet  a  dispute 
whether  they  are  perfectly  globular,  or  circular  as  to  circumference  with  a  plane  superfi- 
cies, in  the  manner  of  a  flat  shilling. — £. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


27 


conveniences  of  the  winter  nights  are  compensated  by  a  thousand 
advantages.  Without  an  occasional  privation  of  sunshine,  should 
we  be  so  well  convinced  of  its  great  comfort  and  utility  1 

Let  each  returning  night  recall  to  our  minds  the  goodness  of  God, 
who,  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  has  diffused  hght  and  beauty  over 
the  face  of  the  earth  ;  let  us  reflect  upon  our  miserable  condition,  if 
each  succeeding  morn  did  not  ensure  the  continuance  of  light.  Is  not 
darkness  itself,  at  certain  intervals,  pleasing,  by  inviting  us  to  repose 
and  tranquillity  under  the  sweet  influence  of  sleep  1  How  many 
labourers  consume  their  days  and  exhaust  their  strength  in  toiling 
for  our  services,  whose  work  is  often  attended  with  disagreeable  and 
painful  sensations ;  to  these  night  is  welcome,  and  they  hail  the  ap- 
proaching evening  with  joy,  when,  free  from  the  unrelenting  frowns 
of  a  hard  master,  or  the  cries  of  their  feeble  and  helpless  children, 
they  may  sink  down  to  rest,  and  en  joy  a  sweet  obhvion  of  their  cares. 

When  night  has  spread  her  sable  mantle  over  the  earth,  all  the 
little  bubbles  which  so  agitated  man  during  the  day  cease  to  disturb 
him  j  all  his  emotions  of  envy,  of  jealousy,  of  pride,  and  of  malig- 
nity, yield  to  the  drowsy  influence  ;  all  his  sorrows,  his  doubts,  and 
his  perplexities,  for  a  time,  are  suspended  ;  stretched  on  his  couch,  he 
only  wishes  for  sleep  ;  bis  eyelids  once  safely  sealed,  the  monarch, 
encanopied  with  purple,  is  no  more  than  the  beggar  nestling  in  his 
straw. 

What  then  do  we  not  owe  to  the  Supreme  Being  who  thus  has 
provided  for  the  good  of  his  creatures ;  w^ho  has  appointed  a  time 
when  the  weary  shall  rest,  and  the  oppressed  shall  be  relieved ;  when 
millions  of  human  beings,  condemned  by  necessity  to  drag  on  a 
wretched  existence,  employed  in  hard  tasks  and  painful  toils,  or  who 
groan  beneath  the  yoke  of  slavery,  have  their  allotted  hour  of  ease 
and  freedom  ;  in  which  their  cares  and  their  sorrows  may  sink  irAo  soft 
repose  ;  when  the  weary  traveller  shall  lie  down,  and  the  exhausted 
peasant  gain  new  vigour  and  recruited  force  ;  and  when  the  philo- 
sopher shall  be  obliged  to  cease  from  the  intense  thinking  which 
would  destroy  his  powers,  that  he  may  rise  and  pursue  his  investiga- 
tions with  redoubled  energy  1 


JANUARY  XV. 

REFLECTIONS  UPON  SELF. 

It  is  reasonable  that  every  man  should  sometimes  withdraw  his 
attention  from  foreign  objects,  and  fix  it  upon  himself.  By  continu- 
ally thinking  of  the  things  which  surround  us,  we  are  apt  to  lose 
sight  of  ourselves,  and  forget  the  gratitude  which  the  contemplation 
of  the  starry  heavens,  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  showered 
down  upon  the  earth,  ought  to  excite  in  our  bosoms.  To  be  con- 
vinced that  man  is  as  excellent  an  example  of  the  perfection  of  God's 


28 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


divine  power  and  wisdom,  as  are  those  objects  which  by  their  gran- 
deur astonish  the  faculties,  I  wish  that  every  individual  would  deeply 
reflect  upon  all  that  most  intimately  concerns  his  structure.  How- 
admirable  is  the  union  of  the  body  and  the  soul !  How  incomprehen- 
sible their  action  ?  We  daily  experience  that  when  the  rays  of  liglit, 
reflected  from  external  objects,  strike  upon  the  retina,  the  mind  re- 
ceives an  idea  of  the  size,  figure,  and  colour  of  such  objects.  We 
find  certain  vibratory  undulations  of  the  atmospherical  air  convey  to 
the  mind,  through  the  medium  of  the  ear,  an  idea  of  sound.  By  this 
power  of  perception  we  obtain  the  knowledge  of  all  the  changes 
which  occur  in  surrounding  bodies,  as  well  as  an  acquaintance  with 
the  thoughts  of  other  men.  We  find  whenever  a  desire  for  motion 
from  place  to  place  arises  in  our  minds,  the  body  obeys  the  impulse  ; 
and  whether  the  trunk,  the  head,  or  the  limbs,  are  required  to  move, 
obedience  follows  the  will.  These  are  facts  well  known  and  daily 
experienced,  but  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  explain  them. 

In  this  reciprocal  influence  of  the  soul  upon  the  body,  and  the  body 
upon  the  soul,  there  is  a  wisdom  displayed  which  we  cannot  search 
into,  and  the  result  of  our  profoundest  investigations  into  this  exqui- 
site union  of  body  and  soul  must  be  admiration  and  astonishment. 

If  we  consider  the  body  separatel}^,  we  find  it  every  where  displays 
the  power  of  the  creating  Hand  ;  each  limb  is  ordered  in  the  most 
convenient  manner  for  utility  as  well  as  beauty  ;  no  change  that  man 
can  devise  will  be  of  benefit  to  him,  so  admirably  is  the  human  frame 
organized — so  wisely  is  it  constituted.  Its  internal  arrangement  is 
still  more  wonderful.  The  body  has  different  ends  to  answer,  diflfer- 
ent  functions  to  perform ;  it  is  the  medium  through  which  the  soul 
receives  cognizance  of  external  objects.  For  this  great  purpose  we 
find  i^  furnished  with  the  organs  of  sight,  of  hearing,  of  taste,  of 
feeling,  and  of  smell,  each  in  itself  worthy  the  highest  admiration. 
But  to  enable  the  body  to  transmit  to  the  soul  the  sensations  of  exter- 
nal objects,  it  is  necessary  motion  should  be  readily  performed,  for 
which  purpose  we  find  various  parts  provided  by  nature  :  the  bones, 
muscles,  joints,  ligaments,  and  cellular  substance,  all  exquisitely 
arranged,  give  the  power  of  moving  in  every  direction :  but  a  machine 
like  this,  in  frequent  motion,  must  be  liable  to  a  continual  waste  ;  to 
supply  which  loss,  and  keep  it  in  proper  Order,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
receive  ahment,  to  comminute  it,  to  separate  its  nutritious  juices,  to 
circulate  them  through  the  whole  machine  with  such  proportion  and 
regularity  that  each  part  may  receive  the  quantity  necessary  for  its 
due  support ;  for  all  which  purposes  suitable  functions  are  provided. 

We  have  reason  then  to  praise  the  Lord,  who  has  tlms  ^vonderfully 
formed  us,  all  of  whose  works  are  so  admirable.  To  thee,  O  God  ! 
be  rendered  all  adoration  and  thanksgiving.  Let  us  celebrate  thy 
praise  with  the  sound  of  the  harp,  and  with  the  song  of  joy  and  of 
gladness.  We  are  the  prodigies  of  thy  power  ;  all  our  faculties  and 
our  senses  display  thy  Divine  wisdom.  May  we  ever  be  permitted  to 
glorify  and  exalt  thy  holy  name  ;  and  may  we,  when  time  here  shall 
be  to  us  no  more,  rejoice  in  thy  goodness,  thiough  a  blessed  eternity  ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


29 


JANUARY  XVI. 

THE  DAMAGE  OCCASIONED  BY  EXTRAORDINARY  COLD. 

Why  do  we  so  readily  notice  those  effects  of  nature  which  seem  to 
be  injurious  ]  Wliy  do  we  so  wilHngly  dwell  upon  and  even  murmur 
at  them,  whilst  we  slightly  pass  over  all  the  striking  advantages 
which  they  procure  us  ?  Men  in  such  cases  act  towards  God  as  they 
are  accustomed  to  do  with  their  fellow-creatures.  A  trifling  offence, 
a  slight  injury  they  may  have  received  from  their  best  friend  or  bene- 
factor, often  effaces  from  their  memory  the  essential  benefits  they  have 
received ;  their  pride  and  their  ingratitude  cause  them  to  overlook 
the  benefits,  while  they  magnify  the  injury.  At  this,  season  of  the 
year  we  have  a  memorable  instance  of  their  disposition :  men  seem 
only  to  regard  the  evil  which  may  result  from  the  cold,  and  never 
consider  the  good  it  may  produce.  If  they  discover  the  least  injury, 
if  some  part  of  the  great  whole  suffer,  they  think  themselves  author- 
ised to  murmur  against  God,  without  at  all  considering  that  nature, 
taken  as  a  whole,  deduces  great  advantages  from  the  cold.  If  we 
weigh  with  impartiality  the  advantages  and  the  evils  which  may  be 
attributed  to  it,  the  result  will  convince  us  how  little  cause  we  have  to 
arraign  the  government  of  the  Almighty. 

It  is  true,  a  severe  season  causes  many  inconveniences,  and  induces 
some  distressing  consequences.  Sometimes  the  water  is  frozen  to 
such  a  depth  that  it  is  not  possible  to  obtain  a  supply  of  this  necessary 
article  ;  the  fish  die  in  the  ponds  ;  rivers  swelling  above  their  banks, 
their  torrents  increased  by  the  melting  snow,  and  containing  vast 
masses  of  floating  ice,  burst  their  boundaries  and  devastate  the 
neighbouring  country.  The  working  of  water-mills  is  stopped  ;  ve- 
getables suffer ;  wood  and  fuel  entirely  fail,  or  become  excessively 
enhanced  in  price  ;  grain,  potatoes,  &c.  if  not  well  covered,  are 
spoiled,  and  plants  and  trees  die.  Many  animals  perish  from  cold 
and  hunger,  and  the  health  and  safety  of  man  are  often  endangered. 

These  are  some  of  the  most  striking  evils  which  the  rigour  of  a 
severe  season  may  produce ;  but  how  many  winters  do  we  not  pass 
without  witnessing  such  a  degree  of  extreme  severity  !  Admitting, 
however,  that  these  disastrous  effects  offener  occurred,  what  right 
have  we  to  complain,  when  the  advantages  much  more  than  com- 
pensate for  any  evils  we  may  endure  ?  Knowing  so  little  of  the  great 
chain  of  causes  which  links  together  this  world,  how  are  we  poor 
finite  beings  to  pronounce  and  decide  upon  what  is  best  for  nature,  or 
upon  what  is  most  prejudicial  to  her  1  Let  us  not  then  expose  our 
ignorance  and  absurdity,  by  blaming  or  condemning  the  laws  of  na- 
ture, because  we  see  but  a  very  minute  part,  and  are  totally  incapable 
of  grasping  the  whole.  Let  us  rather  acknowledge  our  incapacity, 
and  acquire  a  confidence  in  the  ways  of  Providence  which  shall  induce 
us  to  beheve  and  to  feel  assured,  that  He  who  has  created  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  has  likewise  ordained  a  portion  of  happiness  and  of 


30 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


good  sufficient  for  our  present  condition,  and  far  exceeding  all  the  accu- 
mulated evils  we  can  possibly  endure.  With  this  reliance  upon  the 
Rock  of  ages,  we  shall  remain  firm  and  unmoved,  amid  the  warring 
of  elements  and  the  general  wreck  of  nature  ;  whilst  we  ascribe  praise, 
honour,  and  thanksgiving,  to  our  wise  and  beneficent  Creator. 


JANUARY  XVII. 

NATURE  REPOSES  DURING  THE  WINTER. 

The  days  of  winter  are  the  days  of  nature's  rest.  In  the  preceding 
months  she  has  been  exhausted  with  incessant  labour  for  the  good  of 
man.  How  rich  has  the  spring  been  in  flowers  ;  how  the  seeds  have 
expanded  and  the  foliage  sprouted  !  What  abundance  of  fruits  the 
summer  prepares  for  the  autumn's  maturing  hand  !  Every  month, 
every  day,  we  receive  some  fresh  gift  from  nature.  As  the  tender 
mother  provides  for  her  young  with  anxious  care,  so  nature  is  bu^ed 
from  morning  to  evening  in  supplying  our  wants,  and  in  procuring  us 
a  succession  of  comforts  and  blessings  to  make  hfe's  fleeting  moments 
smile  with  joy  and  with  delight.  Food,  raiment,  and  the  chief 
sources  of  our  pleasures,  are  all  derived  from  her  fostering  bosom. 
For  us  she  makes  the  seeds  to  open  and  expand,  tlie  herbs  to  bud,  the 
trees  to  look  gay  with  foliage,  beautiful  with  blossoms,  and  to  pour 
forth  their  riches  in  fruit  of  every  kind  that  can  please  the  eye  or 
gratify  the  taste.  For  us,  the  golden  grain  waves  over  the  fields,  the 
vine  offers  her  varied  treasures,  and  the  whole  creation  is  clothed  in 
verdure,  and  presents  to  the  delighted  observer  an  infinitely  varied 
and  beautiful  field  of  attractions.  Wearied  by  so  many  labours,  na- 
ture, for  a  space,  reposes,  in  order  to  acquire  new  force,  that  she  may 
again  be  equally  fruitful,  and  again  be  enabled  to  assume  her  wonted 
resplendency. 

Here  also,  O  beneficent  Creator  !  I  adore  thy  wisdom.  The  repose 
of  nature  in  winter  is  not  less  interesting  to  us,  nor  less  worthy  of 
entering  iifto  the  plan  of  thy  Divine  Providence,  than  her  utmost 
activity  in  spring  and  summer.  Thou  hast  prepared  the  diflferent 
revolutions  of  the  earth;  thou  hast  estabUshed  the  most  intimate 
relation  between  them  ;  and  with  an  impartial  hand  hast  distributed 
labour  and  rest.  It  is  Thou  who  hast  willed  that  each  sun  should 
vary  the  seasons  of  nature,  in  such  times  and  ways  as  are  most  fit 
for  the  perfection  of  the  whole.  If  I  have  ever  been  foolish  enough 
to  blame  any  thing  in  the  government  of  the  world,  O  God  !  pardon 
my  temerity.  I  now  see,  and  am  fully  persuaded,'  that  all  the  arrange- 
ments of  thy  Providence,  however  extraordinary  they  may  appear  to 
my  feeble  intellects,  are  full  of  wisdom  and  goodness.  Now,  that  I 
see  the  earth  mantled  with  a  deep  snow,  I  think  of  the  good  which 
will  result  from  it,  and  bless  the  wisdom  of  God  ;  for  I  now  know  that 
unless  nature,  at  certain  intervals,  enjoyed  a  state  of  rest,  we  should 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


31 


no  longer  see  the  flowers  and  the  fruits  which  so  beautify  the  creation 
and  increase  the  comforts  of  hfe  ;  no  more  would  the  joyful  harvest- 
home  gladden  the  swain,  nor  the  fields  exchange  their  dusky  hue  for 
the  sprightly  green. 

There  is  a  time  also  when  the  labours,  the  cares,  and  the  vexations 
of  man  shall  cease,  when  his  sorrows  shall  be  no  more.  In  the 
spring  and  summer  of  life,  the  greatest  activity  and  exertions  are  ne- 
cessary to  secure  a  comfortable  existence  for  ourselves,  and  to  contri- 
bute all  in  our  power  to  the  good  of  our  fellow-creatures.  The  au- 
tumn will  soon  arrive  ;  and  may  we  resemble  the  luxuriant  trees 
which  shed  into  our  lap  their  ripe  and  matuie  fruits !  may  we  be 
enabled  from  our  own  fulness  to  give  to  others  a  portion  of  our  trea- 
sures, and  make  the  rich  stores  of  our  minds  flow  into  those  who  have 
not  equal  opportunities  of  acquiring  knowledge  !  so  that  in  the  win- 
ter of  our  age,  when  the  measure  of  our  days  shall  be  filled,  and  our 
head  silvered  over  with  time,  it  may  be  said,  as  we  pass  along.  See 
that  venerable  man,  who  has  devoted  his  youth  to  the  benefit  of 
mankind,  whose  days  have  been  passed  in  the  continued  exertion  of 
his  faculties,  and  in  the  constant  pursuit  of  active  good,  he  is  hasten- 
ing to  receive  the  reward  of  his  good  actions  in  the  eternal  kingdom 
of  peace,  of  joy,  and  of  felicity  ! 


JANUARY  XVIII. 

OF  THE  LAPLANDERS. 

It  is  my  desire  to  begin  this  meditation  with  a  lively  sense  of  grati- 
tude to  my  Creator,  and  of  compassion  for  those  of  my  fellow-crea- 
tures to  whom  nature  has  been  less  bountiful  in  her  gifts.  I  shall 
confine  my  attention  in  this  day's  reflection  to  the  Laplanders,  and  to 
the  natives  of  those  countries  which  border  upon  the  arctic  circle  ;  a 
race  of  people  whose  lot,  compared  with  ours,  seems  to  be  much  less 
happy.  Their  country  is  almost  entirely  formed  of  mountains,  per- 
petually capped  with  snow  and  ice,  the  continued  chain  of  which  is 
only  interrupted  by  vast  marshes.  Winter  reigns  during  the  greatest 
part  of  the  year ;  the  nights  are  long,  and  the  days  have  but  a  feeble 
light.  According  to  the  season,  the  inhabitants  live  in  houses  or  in 
tents.  In  winter  they  seek  shelter  from  the  cold  in  their  houses, 
which  have  neither  door  nor  chimney  ;  the  fire  is  in  the  centre,  and 
the  smoke  escapes  through  a  vaulted  aperture  in  front,  by  which  they 
enter  the  house,  being  from  the  lowness  of  the  passage  obliged  to 
creep  upon  their  hands  and  feet ;  the  roof  of  the  house  is  covered 
with  furs,  and  the  walls  within  are  lined  with  the  same  materials : 
they  also  sleep  and  sit  down  upon  the  skins  of  animals.  During  six 
months  of  the  year  they  are  enveloped  in  the  shades  of  night,  and, 
confined  to  their  houses,  hear  nothing  around  them  but  the  whistling 
of  the  wind,  the  roaring  of  the  tempest,  and  the  fierce  howling  of 


32 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  wolves,  driven  by  hunger  to  prowl  for  their  prey  near  the  habita- 
tions of  man. 

How  thankful  ought  we  to  be  that  we  do  not  live  in  such  a  cli- 
mate, where,  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  extends  one  vast  chain  of  icy 
mountains  and  immense  deserts,  covered  Avith  snow  !  where  the  cold 
is  intense,  the  habitations  miserable,  and  no  means  of  subsistence  but 
such  as  are  offered  by  the  dangerous  and  toilsome  chase  can  be  ob- 
tained !  where  we  should  be  deprived  of  all  the  pleasures  and  com- 
forts procured  by  the  arts,  and  all  the  charms  and  blessings  of  a  cul- 
tivated society  !  Let  us  then  feel  and  know  the  value  of  our  own  cli- 
mate, and  glorify  God,  who  has  made  our  conditiou  so  much  superior, 
and  distinguished  us  with  such  numerous  advantages.  Yet  the  hardy 
inhabitant  of  these  northern  regions  is  not  the  unfortunate  being  we 
may  suppose.  It  is  true  that  he  wanders  exposed  to  every  inclemency 
of  sky,  through  a  dreary  and  rugged  country ;  that  he  is  poor,  and 
deprived  of  many  of  life's  choicest  blessings  ;  and  that  for  months 
together  he  is  never  cheered  by  the  sun-beams.  But  his  frame  is 
strong  and  capable  of  enduring  much  fatigue,  his  wants  are  few, 
education  and  habit  inure  him  to  the  rigours  of  the  clime,  and  the 
gloom  of  his  long  nights  is  rendered  supportable  by  the  moon  and  fre- 
quent glimmering  of  the  aurora  borealis.  The  Laplander  is  ex- 
tremely agile,  and  glides  over  the  snow,  upon  skates,  with  a  velocity 
which  frequently  outstrips  the  fleet  deer:  in  these  expeditions,  a 
stranger  to  fear,  he  will  scale  the  hills  or  fly  down  the  precipice. 
The  rein-deer  is  subservient  to  his  use,  and  yoked  to  the  sledge  this 
swift  animal  will  draw  him  over  immense  tracts  of  country ;  and  when 
worn  out  with  age  or  fatigue,  his  skin  supplies  clothing  and  fur- 
niture. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  spring,  when  the  melting  snow  penetrates 
their  humble  roofs,  these  people  quit  their  houses  to  pass  the  summer 
in  tents,  which  they  find  more  convenient  for  their  mode  of  living ; 
these  they  make  as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  smile  at  the  accounts 
of  travellers  who  attempt  to  persuade  them  it  is  possible  to  enjoy 
greater  happiness  than  they  experience  in  what  Ave  call  their  mise- 
rable situation.  They  are  hospitable,  and  lovers  of  peace  ;  but  prone 
to  revenge,  and  extremely  superstitious  :  they  have  their  feasts  and 
their  entertainments,  with  different  diversions  ;  and  were  the  rays  of 
knowledge  and  of  a  pure  religion  ever  to  irradiate  their  minds  ;  their 
idle  dreams  of  witches,  of  spirits,  and  of  hobgoblins  ;  their  behef  in 
magic  and  in  charms ;  to  be  dissipated  by  the  torch  of  truth,  they 
might,  indeed,  since  happiness  is  not  confined  to  any  particular 
country,  be  a  happy  and  an  independent  race  of  men. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


3S 


JANUARY  XIX. 

WISDOM  DISPLAYED  IN  THE  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  GLOBE. 

However  limited  the  human  capacity  may  be,  and  confined  the 
understanding ;  and  though  we  are  unable  to  comprehend  the  great 
plan  of  the  universe,  we  may  yet,  through  the  medium  of  our  senses, 
and  by  the  exertion  of  those  faculties  which  we  all  enjoy,  discover 
enough  to  know  and  to  admire  the  wisdom  of  God.  To  be  convinced 
of  this  we  have  only  to  consider  the  figure  of  the  earth,  which  we 
shall  find  to  be  that  of  a  sphere,  a  form  the  best  adapted  for  its  sur- 
face, to  be  every  where  inhabited  by  living  creatures.  This  end 
could  not  have  been  accomplished  if  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  did 
not  experience  a  sufficient  degree  of  light  and  heat ;  if  water  could 
not,  in  every  part,  circulate  without  impediment ;  and  if  the  winds 
were  not  suffered  to  blow  unretarded  by  obstacles.  For  all  these  pur- 
poses the  rotundity  of  the  earth  is  admirably  adapted  ;  it  is  owing  to 
this  that  the  light  and  heat  are  so  readily  diffused  throughout  the 
globe.  Were  it  not  for  this  form,  the  succession  of  night  and  day, 
the  different  changes  of  the  temperature  of  the  air,  of  cold,  of  heat, 
of  moisture,  and  of  dryness,  could  not  have  occurred. 

If  we  consider  the  immense  body  of  the  earth,  and  its  excellent 
degree  of  consistence,  neither  too  hard  nor  too  soft,  we  have  still  more 
cause  to  admire  the  Supreme  wisdom.  Was  it  more  hard,  more  com- 
pact, and  less  penetrable,  it  would  be  incapable  of  being  converted  to 
the  purposes  of  agriculture,  and  we  should  not  enjoy  the  plants,  the 
herbs,  the  roots,  and  the  flowers,  which  now  beautify  its  surface,  and 
are  nourished  within  its  fostering  bosom.  The  earth  is  formed  of 
different  strata,  consisting  of  fossils,  bituminous  and  calcareous  mat- 
ters, metals,  and  minerals  ;  the  water  which  we  drink  and  convert  to 
so  many  useful  purposes  is  rendered  limpid  by  filtrating  through  beds 
of  sand  at  a  great  depth  within  the  earth ;  the  mountains  and  the 
valleys,  the  plains  and  the  hills,  which  diversify  its  surface,  whilst 
they  contribute  by  their  beauty  to  the  pleasure  of  man,  promote  his 
health,  as  well  as  the  salubrity  of  the  various  species  of  plants  and 
animals  which  exist  in  every  situation  of  the  earth. 

Who  is  there  that  will  not  acknowledge  that  the  whole  plan  of  the 
earth,  its  form,  its  exterior  and  interior  structure,  are  all  regulated  by 
the  wisest  laws,  and  all  tending  to  promote  and  to  increase  the  hap- 
piness of  animated  beings  1  Wherever  we  direct  our  attention,  whether 
to  examine  the  beautiful  and  grand  objects  diff  used  over  the  face  of 
nature,  or  whether  to  penetrate  within  the  interior  of  the  earth,  we 
perceive  that  every  thing  is  arranged  with  wisdom,  and  we  every  where 
discover  the  legible  characters  and  broad  stamp  of  aa  Infinite,  Al- 
mighty, and  Supreme  Being. 


E 


54 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JANUARY  XX. 

SHORT  MEDITATIONS   UPON  THE  WORKS  OF  GOD,  TAKEN  FROM  THE 

SCRIPTURES. 

*  Hearken  unto  this,  stand  still,  and  consider  the  wonderful  works 
of  God.'* 

'  Jehovah  hath  fonned  the  earth  by  his  power ;  he  hath  established 
the  earth  by  his  wisdom,  and  hath  stretched  out  the  heavens  by  his 
understanding.'! 

*  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light ;  and  God 
saw  the  light  that  it  was  good  ;  and  God  separated  the  light  from  the 
darkness,  and  he  called  the  light  day,  and  the  darkness  he  called 
night. 'I 

*  Thou  art  the  Lord  who  hast  made  the  heavens  and  the  heaven 
of  heavens,  with  all  their  hosts  ;  the  earth,  and  all  things  therein ; 
the  seas,  and  all  that  is  therein :  thou  givest  life  to  all  things,  and 
the  hosts  of  heaven  worship  thee.'§ 

*  O  Lord,  my  God  !  thou  art  marvellously  great ;  thou  art  clothed 
with  honour  and  majesty  !  Who  coverest  thyself  with  light  as  with  a 
garment :  who  stretchest  out  the  heavens  as  a  curtain.  The  Lord 
layeth  the  beams  of  his  chambers  in  the  waters,  he  maketh  the 
clouds  his  chariot ;  he  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind ;  he 
maketh  the  winds  his  messengers,  and  the  lightnings  his  agents.  He 
hath  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth  so  that  they  cannot  be  shaken. 
He  hath  covered  it  with  the  deep  as  with  a  garment;  the  waters 
stood  above  the  mountains,  but  at  his  rebuke  they  fled ;  at  the  voice 
of  his  thunder  they  hasted  away.'|| 

'  He  has  stretched  out  the  heavens  over  the  chaos,  and  hath  hung 
the  earth  upon  nothing.  He  bindeth  up  the  waters  in  his  thick  clouds, 
and  the  cloud  is  not  rent  under  them.  His  power  raiseth  the  waves 
of  the  sea,  and  his  wisdom  restraineth  their  fury.^H  He  raiseth  the 
vapours,  and  assembleth  them  in  clouds,  which  pour  down  in  rain 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  He  covereth  the  heavens  with  dark 
clouds,  and  the  thunderbolts  issue  from  his  tabernacle.  He  darts  his 
lightnings  through  the  thick  clouds,  where  all  the  waters  of  the  sea 
seem  to  be  collected.  Thence,  as  from  his  throne,  he  pronounceth 
judgment  upon  the  nations,  or  scattereth  abundance  over  the  face  of 
the  earth.'** 

*  The  thunder  peals,  and  we  see  the  hghtnings  flash  ;  God  an- 
nounceth  his  wonders,  and  performeth  things  too  marvellous  for  our 
comprehension.  He  sayeth  unto  the  rain  of  winter.  Fall  down  upon 
the  earth  ;  and  it  inundates  the  countries.  Out  of  the  south  cometh 
the  whirlwind,  and  cold  out  of  the  north.  By  the  breath  of  God  ice 
is  produced,  and  the  waters  which  were  spread  on  all  sides  are  held  in 
chains.    He  causeth  the  most  clear  and  serene  sky  to  succeed  to  that 

*  Job  xxxvii.  14.  t  Jer.  x.  12.  i  Gen.  i.  3—5.  §  Neh.  ix.  6. 
II  Ps.  civ.  1,  7.             ir  Job  xxvi.  7—12.     ♦*  Job  axxvi.  27,  &c. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


35 


which  was  most  obscured ;  and  his  hght  dispels  the  clouds.*  He 
who  holds  the  reins  of  the  world,  collects  these  meteors,  tliat  they 
may  fulfil  the  task  which  he  hath  appointed  them  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  ;  whether  he  intends  that  they  should  punish  men,  or  manifest 
the  effects  of  his  bounty. 

*God  is  wise  in  heart,  and  mighty  in  strength:  who  hath  opposed 
him  and  hath  prospered?  He  snatcheth  up  the  mountains,  and 
overturneth  them  with  the  breath  of  his  nostrils.  He  shaketh  the 
earth  out  of  her  place,  and  the  pillars  thereof  tremble.  He  com- 
mandeth  the  sun,  and  it  riseth  not ;  and  he  sealeth  up  the  stars.  He 
spreadeth  out  the  heavens  alone,  and  walketh  upon  the  waves  of  the 
sea.  He  hath  formed  the  constellations  Arcturus,  Orion,  and  Pleiades, 
and  the  chambers  of  the  south.'f 

'  Thou  hast  opened  the  fountain  and  the  torrent ;  thou  hast  dried 
up  the  mighty  rivers.  The  day  is  thine  ;  the  night  also  is  thine  : 
thou  hast  prepared  the  light  and  the  sun.  Thou  hast  set  all  the 
borders  of  the  earth ;  thou  hast  made  summer  and  winter.  |  He 
raiseth  up  the  east  wind  in  the  air,  and  sendeth  forth  the  south  wind 
by  his  povver.'§ 

'  He  watereth  the  mountains  from  his  chambers ;  the  earth  is 
satisfied  with  the  fruit  of  his  works.  He  causeth  the  grass  to  grow 
for  the  cattle,  and  grain  for  the  service  of  man,  that  he  may  bring 
forth  fruit  out  of  the  earth. '||  'For  thus  saith  the  Lord  that  created 
the  heaven :  God  himself  that  formed  the  earth  and  made  it,  and 
hath  established  it,  created  it  not  in  vain  ;  he  formed  it  to  be  inha- 
bited.   I  am  the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else.'^ 


JANUARY  XXL 

OP  THE   HUMAN  VOICE. 

The  human  voice,  both  in  its  principles,  its  variations,  and  its  or- 
gans, is  certainly  most  admirable,  and  its  nature  diflficult  to  be  ex- 
plained. Let  us  first  consider  the  organs  by  which  we  are  enabled  to 
emit  sounds.  The  air  is  received  into  the  lungs  through  a  tube  call- 
ed the  trachea  or  windpipe  ;  this  is  chiefly  formed  of  cartilages  nearly 
circular,  united  by  an  elastic  membrane.  The  entrance  from  the 
mouth  is  singularly  formed,  so  as  to  admit  the  passage  of  air  into  and 
from  the  lungs ;  but  as  the  smallest  particle  of  food  getting  into  the 
trachea  would  be  productive  of  the  worst  consequences,  a  valve  is 
placed  over  the  mouth  of  the  tube,  which  is  shut  whilst  we  eat  or 
drink,  and  only  opens  to  admit  the  passage  of  air.**  The  air  being 
then  expelled  through  this  tube  into  the  larynx  with  a  certain  degree 

♦  Job  xxxvii.  5,  &c.  f  Job  ix.  4.  9.  J  Ps.  Ixxiv.  15 — 17. 

I  Ps.  Ixviii.  26.  [|  Ps.  civ.  13,  14.  IT  Isa.  xlv.  18. 

**  This  valve  is  called  the  epiglottis,  and  the  orifice  over  which  it  is  placed,  the  glottis  : 
there  are,  besides,  cartilages  called  thyroid,  two  arytaenoid,  and  the  crycoid,  all  together 
constituting  the  larynx,  which  is  the  part  most  essential  to  the  voice. — E. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


of  force,  and  thence  into  the  mouth,  occasions  the  voice,  which  is 
formed  when  the  air  is  quickly  expelled  through  the  contracted  glot- 
tis into  the  larynx,  from  which  the  sound  ai  ises.  The  particular  for- 
mation, and  the  different  degrees  of  contraction  and  motion  of  the 
larynx,  glottis,  &c.  and  the  manner  in  which  the  air  is  expelled 
through  their  parts,  principally  conduce  to  occasion  the  great  variety 
of  sounds  and  difference  of  voice  we  meet  with.* 

Speech  consists  in  the  pronunciation  of  letters,  which  are  of  two 
kinds  :  those  which  are  pronounced  without  the  tongue  moving 
against  any  part  of  the  mouth,  are  called  vowels ;  those  which  re- 
quire collision  of  the  tongue  with  some  other  part  of  the  mouth,  hps, 
and  teeth,  are  consonants.  The  communication  between  the  nos- 
trils and  the  mouth,  much  facilitates  our  pronunciation  ;  hence  when 
this  channel  is  obstructed  we  experience  a  great  change  of  voice. 

Having  thus  generally  considered  the  parts  necessary  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  voice,  let  us  reflect  a  little  upon  its  beauties  and  advan- 
tages. By  the  means  of  the  voice-  we  have  been  enabled  to  become 
a  civilized  people,  and  have  obtained  all  the  blessings  peculiar  to 
that  state.  We  find  when  it  pleased  God  to  confoimd  the  impious 
builders  of  Babel,  he  had  only  to  render  their  language  unintelligible 
to  each  other,  and  the  work  could  not  proceed.  Consider  it  in  all  its 
consequences  with  regard  to  society,  and  it  will  be  found  that,  with- 
out the  means  of  rendering  ourselves  understood  by  our  companions, 
social  intercourse  must  cease.  Besides,  there  is  something  so  fasci- 
nating in  some  of  the  modulations  of  the  voice,  that  they  penetrate 
our  souls,  and  we  acknowledge  their  influence  from  the  bottom  of  our 
heart.  A  pleasing  and  soft  voice,  tuned  to  the  language  it  utters,  is 
irresistible ;  and  we  often,  from  the  tone  of  the  voice,  judge  of  the 
temper  of  the  mind.  Let  us  then,  since  experience  teaches  us  this 
pleasing  gift  may  be  improved  by  attention,  spare  no  pains  in  its  cul- 
tivation, and  offer  up  our  thanks  to  the  Almighty  for  bestowing  upon 
us  a  treasure,  without  which,  life  would  not  be  desirable  ;  a  treasure 
which  by  our  own  exertions  we  can  make  still  more  estimable  :  and 
may  we  never  be  found  amongst  the  number  of  those  who  misapply 
this  heavenly  gift,  but  ever  convert  it  to  the  benefit  and  pleasure  of 
our  fellow-creatures  ! 

*  The  author  divides  the  trachea  into  four  equal  parts,  which  he  says,  produce  the 
twelve  full  tones  that  he  asserts  the  human  voice  is  possessed  of ;  these  he  subdivides 
into  one  hundred  more,  and  hence  sets  down  that  a  man  may  produce  2400  different 
tones  of  voice,  which  may  all  be  distinguished  by  the  ear.  To  say  nothing  of  the  very 
little  we  yet  know  respecting  the  tones  of  the  human  voice ;  which,  however,  we  have 
reason  to  believe,  if  accurately  investigated,  would  be  found  to  be  very  few,  though  sus 
ceptible  of  infinite  variation  ;  I  have  only  to  observe,  that  so  far  from  the  trachea  pro 
ducing  these  tones,  it  may  be  divided,  or  wounded,  without  the  voice  suffering,  whilst 
the  Blähtest  injury  done  to  the  larynx  will  materially  affect  the  voice. — E. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


S7 


JANUARY  XXIl. 

NECESSITY  OF  REFLECTING  UPON  GOD. 

I  address  myself  to  those  who  seek  with  laudable  solicitude,  to  de- 
rive edification  from  every  occurrence.  I  wish  to  induce  you,  by 
regarding  the  different  changes  of  nature  at  this  season,  to  be  led  to 
reflect  upon  the  wonders  of  God,  whose  glory  shines  now  equally  ma- 
nifest as  at  every  other  time.  Whilst  you  behold  the  earth  covered 
with  snow,  rivers  arrested  in  their  course  by  the  frost,  the  trees  stripped 
of  their  foliage,  and  all  nature  wild  and  desolate,  think  of  the  reasons 
which  alone  can  influence  Providence  in  this  change,  which  you  will 
find  to  be  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  creation.  If,  from  the  contrac- 
tion of  your  mind,  the  narrow  limits  of  your  faculties,  you  can  scarcely 
comprehend  the  smallest  part  of  the  designs  of  God,  let  it  satisfy  you 
to  know  that  the  snow,  the  ice,  and  all  the  phenomena  which  winter 
presents,  are  comprehended  within  the  plan  of  Supreme  Wisdom  for 
the  well-being  of  created  nature. 

You  can  no  where  cast  your  view,  but  objects  present  themselves  to 
call  forth  your  piety  ;  when  you  see  the  snow  melt,  the  ice  dissolve, 
and  day  after  day  glide  with  rapidity,  you  may  reflect  upon  the  short 
and  uncertain  span  of  life.  If  all  the  comforts  which  ease  and  afl^u- 
ence  can  impart  are  within  your  possession,  think  of  those  unfortunate 
people  who,  destitute  of  the  common  necessaries  of  life,  are  sinking 
beneath  the  rigours  of  the  season,  and  whom  you  are  loudly  cMled 
upon  to  assist  with  a  portion  of  your  superfluities.  But  above  all, 
cultivate  your  mind  ;  supply  it  with  those  rich  materials  of  knowledge 
which  no  earthly  power  can  bereave  you  of ;  and  whilst  you  thus 
enlarge  your  mind,  keep  alive  all  the  feelings  of  your  heart,  let  it 
ever  pulsate  to  the  happiness  of  your  fellow-creatures,  and  never  die 
but  from  the  misery  you  cannot  relieve.  You  will  then  be  able  to 
regulate  your  passions,  to  disregard  sensuality,  and  rise  superior  to  all 
trifling  and  sordid  emotions.  You  will  never  have  occasion  to  fly  to 
dissipation  to  enable  you  to  pass  the  tedious  length  of  the  day  ;  whilst 
others  are  indulging  in  debauch,  and  in  sinful  pleasures,  you  will, 
from  the  workings  of  your  mind,  and  from  the  contemplation  of  the 
works  of  God,  whether  you  are  in  the  privacy  of  retirement  or  in  the 
company  of  those  whom  you  love  and  esteem^  find  pleasures  the  most 
exquisite,  because  they  are  pure  and  unalloyed,  and  permanent, 
because  they  are  furnished  by  the  mind,  which  lives  for  ever.  What- 
ever tends  to  abstract  our  thoughts  from  the  petty  occurrences  of 
terrestrial  objects,  and  fix  them  upon  God  and  the  effects  of  his  wisdom, 
advances  the  dignity  of  our  nature,  renders  our  minds  noble  and 
elevated,  and  diffuses  over  the  soul  a  sensation  of  that  felicity  which 
we  have  reason  to  believe  is  the  portion  of  the  angels  of  hght ;  and 
the  continuance  of  which,  according  to  our  several  degrees  of  merit, 
we  may  hope  to  experience  in  the  blessed  regions  of  eternal  purity 
and  truth. 

4 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JANUARY  XXIII. 

THE   FEAR  OF  APPARITIONS. 

During"  the  long  dark  nights  of  winter,  many  people  are  troubled 
with  a  ridiculous  fear  of  apparitions.  At  the  period  when  the  natural 
imbecility  of  man  was  more  a  prey  to  superstition  than  it  is  in  this 
more  enlightened  age,  such  idle  fears  were  less  reprehensible,  because 
they  were  imbibed  in  childhood,  and  communicated  through  the 
impressive  medium  of  religion.  But  that  such  notions  should  still 
disgrace  an  intellectual  people  is  remarkable.  It  shows  how  ready 
the  invention  of  man  is  to  be  emplo3^ed  in  conjuring  up  monsters,  and 
in  tormenting  himself :  as  if  there  were  not  already  enough  of  real 
evils  to  afflict  him,  he  creates  imaginary  ones,  and  becomes  wretched 
because  he  thinks  he  is  so.  How  wretched  is  the  miser  through  his 
fear  of  thieves  ;  the  misanthrope,  from  his  doubt  and  mistrust  of  all 
who  surround  him ;  and  the  discontented  man,  from  dissatisfaction 
with  his  condition,  and  anxiety  for  the  future  !  Hence  let  us  learn  to 
guard  against  the  illusions  of  the  imagination,  which  not  only  during 
the  night  presents  spectres  to  our  view,  but  also,  in  the  day-time,  often 
deceives  us  by  painting  vice  in  alluring  forms  and  attracting  colours. 
Happy  should  we  be  if  we  were  as  eager  to  fly  from  the  temptations 
to  evil  as  we  are  from  the  imaginary  terrors  of  an  apparition. 

Whence  is  it  that  some  people,  whose  courage  in  real  danger  never 
shrinks,  are  violently  affected  by  these  chimeras  ?  Because  their  ima- 
gination clothes  its  objects  in  colours  much  more  glowing  than  they 
really  possess,  and  in  this  case,  being  perverted  before  reason  can 
operate,  terror  has  completely  possessed  the  mind.  Admitting  the 
existence  of  spectres,  why  should  the  return  of  one  from  the  dead  so 
horribly  shake  our  nature,  when  we  live  in  the  certainty  of  being  one 
day  transported  into  a  world  of  incorporeal  beings  ?  Though  we  are 
convinced  that  every  moment  brings  us  nearer  to  the  presence  of  the 
eternal  God,  we  feel  no  fear  from  such  a  conviction  ;  yet  were  an 
apparition  at  midnight  to  interrupt  our  repose,  and  announce  the 
decree  that  we  must  soon  follow  it  to  an  unknown  country,  the  boldest 
amongst  us  would  feel  an  emotion  of  terror,  and  await  the  event  with 
the  utmost  torture  of  suspense.  Yet  we  regard  not  the  voice  of  the 
Most  High,  which  cries,  '  Prepare,  O  Israel,  to  meet  thy  God !'  Let  us 
not  give  up  our  minds  to  unnecessary  alarms,  but  rather  fear  that 
Being  at  whose  coming  the  hearts  of  the  bravest  will  be  appalled,  and 
the  wicked  shall  call  upon  the  mountains  to  hide  and  the  hills  to 
cover  them.  Fear  to  do  that  which  is  contrary  to  the  will  of  God, 
and  you  may  banish  every  other  fear,  and  sing  with  David,  *  The 
Lord  is  my  light,  whom  shall  I  fear?  The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my 
soul,  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  V 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


39 


JANUARY  XXIV. 

SUBTERRANEOUS  FIRES. 

There  are  certain  phenomena  occasionally  observed  which  strongly 
prove  the  existence  of  subterranean  fires.  Terrible  eruptions  of 
inflammable  matter,  from  time  to  time,  take  place.  The  two  most 
known  and  most  considerable  mountains  which  produce  these  effects 
are  Etna  in  Sicily,  and  Vesuvius  in  the  king-dom  of  Naples.  The 
accounts  given  of  these  two  volcanoes  are  very  terrible.  At  different 
intervals  vast  eruptions  of  fiery  matter  issue.  Sometimes  only  a  black 
vapour  is  seen  to  arise,  and  at  the  same  time  are  heard  hollow  rumbling 
noises,  often  succeeded  by  strong  flashes  of  fire,  and  peals  like  thunder, 
accompanied  with  the  sensation  of  an  earthquake.  The  vapour  then 
becomes  luminous,  and  showers  of  stones  and  lava  are  evolved,  part 
of  which  falls  again  within  the  crater,  though  enough  of  them  fall 
without  to  lay  waste  the  neighbouring  country,  and  they  are  some- 
times whirled  to  a  considerable  distance.  These  terrible  explosions 
are  sometimes  even  more  violent.  With  the  noise  of  thunder,  tor- 
rents of  burning  sulphur,  and  liquid  metals,  enveloped  with  clouds  of 
ashes  and  smoke,  are  hurled  to  an  immense  distance ;  rocks,  upborne 
by  the  force  of  the  explosion,  fall  with  a  dreadful  crash  ;  and  cataracts 
of  fire  pour  down  the  steep  of  the  mountain  :  the  deluge  sweeps  over 
the  villages,  plantations,  and  cities  ;  the  earth  rocks,  and  they  who 
escape  the  flood  fall  within  the  gulph  made  by  the  earthquake,  or, 
tossed  from  wave  to  wave,  are  buried  in  the  general  wreck. 


JANUARY  XXV. 

OF  COMETS. 

That  remarkable  star  which  derives  its  name  from  the  vapour 
which  surrounds  it,  may  justly  be  ranked  amongst  the  heavenly 
bodies  which  form  a  part  of  our  system.  Like  our  planets,  it  has  its 
revolution  round  the  sun ;  but  it  differs  from  them  all,  by  its  peculiar 
motion,  orbit,  and  figure.  Seen  through  a  telescope,  a  comet  appears 
full  of  spots  and  inequalities ;  but  a  thick  vapour  frequently  renders 
it  impossible  to  observe  its  figure.  The  number  of  comets  in  our  sys- 
tem is  about  twenty-one,  moving  in  different  directions,  varying  in 
size,  and  of  much  greater  density  than  our  earth.  Their  figure  is 
not  always  round,  and  they  are  not  always  equally  luminous.  The 
train,  or  tail,  is  so  transparent,  that  the  fixed  stars  may  be  seen  through 
it,  and  sometimes  it  extends  to  an  immense  distance  in  the  heavens  ; 
the  farther  it  reaches  the  broader  it  seems  to  become,  and  is  at  times 
divided  into  rays.  When  nearest  the  sun,  the  heat  of  a  particular 
comet  has  been  computed  by  Newton  to  be  two  thousand  times  hotter 


40 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


than  red-hot  iron,  and  it  would  retain  this  heat  until  it  came  round 
again,  though  the  period  should  be  more  than  20,000  years. 

What  we  have  just  advanced  on  this  subject  is  the  result  of  obser- 
vations made  by  astronomers.  But  there  are  many  things  concerning 
the  heavenly  bodies  which  we  can  never  understand ;  and  many  of 
them  are  entirely  removed  from  our  sight.  Is  a  comet  an  aqueous 
planet,  or  a  burning  globe  ?  Can  it  be  inhabited,  when  at  one  time  it 
is  placed  so  near  the  sun  that  the  heat  must  be  excessive,  and  at  other 
times  passing  far  beyond  the  orbits  of  other  planets,  it  is  immersed  in 
the  utter  darkness,  where  the  suns  ray's  have  no  influence  ?  Has  the 
Great  Judge  of  the  earth  destined  comets  for  the  abode  of  the  unrighte- 
ous and  the  chastisement  of  the  wicked  1  Shall  these  erratic  bodies 
one  day  become  the  means  of  turning  the  planets  from  their  orbits, 
and  effecting  their  destruction  1  Or,  are  they  still  deserts,  without  form 
and  void,  as  was  the  earth  before  the  Creator  made  it  habitable  and 
fruitful  1  These  questions  cannot  be  resolved  by  natural  wisdom  ; 
and  from  our  incapacity  in  this  respect  we  may  learn  humility, 
and  be  convinced  how  very  limited  are  the  powers  of  the  human 
understanding. 

Men  too  frequently  neglect  this  truth.  Were  it  present  to  their 
hearts,  the  appearance  of  a  comet  would  not  raise  in  their  minds  so 
many  vain  conjectures  and  fruitless  opinions.  Some  men  regard 
comets  as  the  precursors  of  Hea,ven's  judgments ;  and  some  read  in 
their  aspect  the  destiny  of  nations  and  the  fall  of  empires.  Others 
again  predict,  from  their  appearance,  wars,  famine,  and  plagues ;  and 
consider  them  as  the  severest  scourge  of  man.  These  superstitious 
people  never  reflect  that  a  comet  is  a  natural  body  which  does  not 
derange  the  order  of  the  universe,  and  the  return  of  which  may  be 
calculated  with  certainty  ;  neither  do  they  consider  that  this  body,  as 
well  as  the  other  planets,  must  have  a  much  more  important  destina- 
tion than  that  which  superstition  allows  them.  Are  we  to  be  told 
that  the  Supreme  Almighty  Wisdom  has  placed  these  immense  and 
magnificent  luminaries  in  the  firmament,  to  announce  to  a  few  poor 
creatures  the  fate  which  awaits  them  1 


JANUARY  XXVI. 

OF  SNOW. 

Although  snow  is  very  familiar  to  every  one  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  its  formation  is  sufficiently  interesting  to  delight  a  mind  fond  of 
reflection. 

Snow  consists  of  watery  particles  frozen  in  the  air  :  frozen  water  be- 
comes ice ;  and  snow  only  differs  from  ice  in  this  respect,  that  the  water 
which  constituted  ice  has  been  frozen  when  in  its  ordinary  density, 
whilst  the  water  which  forms  snow  has  been  frozen  when  its  particles 
were  separated  and  reduced  to  a  state  of  vapour.    It  has  been  proved 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


41 


'ly  experiments  that  snow,  at  the  first  instant  of  its  falUng,  is  about 
wenty-four  times  more  rare  than  water,  and  occupies  ten  or  twelve 
'irnes  the  space  it  does  when  dissolved. 

The  formation  of  the  flakes  of  snow  is  both  curious  and  beautiful : 
and  were  it  not  so  familiar  an  object,  would  certainly  fill  us  with 
astonishment.  Let  us,  each  time  we  see  the  thick  flakes  descend 
from  the  heavens,  think  of  the  benevolent  Creator  of  nature,  "  which 
loveth  all  his  works  :  which  scattereth  his  snow  Uke  wool,  and  his 
hoar-frost  like  the  shining  pearls  ;  which  commandeth  the  cold  to 
bless  and  to  fertihze  the  earth,  and  to  whom  be  rendered,  for  ever  and 
ever,  all  praise,  honour,  and  glory." 


JANUARY  XXVIL 

RAPIDITY  WITH  WHICH  LIFE  PASSES  AWAF. 

That  life  is  transitory,  and  the  thread  of  existence  very  fragile, 
we  have  ample  experience  from  the  earliest  glimmerings  of  reason: 
every  thing  around  us  serves  to  evince  the  uncertainty  of  time.  Let 
us  consider  how  rapidly  the  days  have  fled  and  the  years  have  elapsed, 
and  how  imperceptible  has  been  their  flight !  If  we  attempt  to  recall 
them  to  our  memory,  to  follow  their  rapid  course,  we  shall  find  our- 
selves unequal  to  the  task,  and  unable  to  mark  the  different  epochs, 
unless  they  have  been  memorable  for  some  remarkable  incidents, 
which  have  made  a  forcible  impression  upon  our  minds.  How  many 
years  of  infancy,  devoted  to  the  diversions  of  that  tender  age,  have 
fled  unheeded,  and  left  not  a  trace  behind  !  How  often  during  the 
giddy  thoughtlessness  of  youth,  when  beguiled  by  passions,  and  pur- 
suing wild  pleasures,  we  had  neither  opportunity  nor  desire  for  re-- 
flection ! 

When  succeeding  years  have  rendered  a  change  of  habit  neces- 
sary, some  have  thought  that  they  would  act  more  as  became  rational 
beings ;  but  the  cares  of  the  world  occupied  their  attention,  and  so 
possessed  their  souls  as  to  prevent  their  reflecting  upon  the  manner  in 
which  their  hours  had  been  passed.  Their  family  increases,  and 
their  cares  and  efforts  to  provide  for  their  necessities  likewise  accu- 
mulate. Old  age  insensibly  approaches,  and  perhaps  there  will  then 
be  an  equal  inability  and  want  of  leisure  to  reflect  upon  the  present, 
or  to  remember  what  they  have  done,  and  what  they  have  neglected 
to  do ;  thus  they  never  know  the  great  end  which  they  were  designed 
to  answer  in  the  creation. 

Let  no  one  defer  reflecting  upon  this  state  till  old  age  ;  for  he  can 
never  be  certain  of  attaining  to  it.  So  delicate  is  the  tree  of  life,  that 
with  diflftculty  it  advances  to  maturity  :  often  nipped  in  the  bud,  it 
perishes  before  its  petals  have  expanded  ;  even  shoots  of  vigour,  which 
promised  to  flourish  with  strength  and  with  beauty,  have  their  sap 
withered,  and  die.    To  leave  the  language  of  metaphor,  how  many 


42 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


a  noble  youth,  formed  in  nature's  fairest  mould,  just  as  his  virtues 
are  beginning  to  open,  and  his  mind  to  beam,  bows  beneath  the  pale 
messenger  !  How  many  of  the  softer  sex,  with  charms  sweet  as  the 
opening  morn,  whose  attractive  graces  entwine  the  heart,  live  but  to 
show  the  beauty  of  nature,  and  then,  as  if  too  refined  for  this  sphere, 
wing  their  flight  to  purer  regions  !  If  we  are  permitted  to  pass  the 
period  of  youth  safe  from  the  dangers  which  threaten,  we  are  still 
uncertain  as  to  the  continuance  of  another  hour.  Let  this  reflection 
then  induce  us  ever  to  live  as  if  the  present  day  was  to  be  the  last  of 
our  existence,  and  we  shall  then  pass  the  time  in  employment  suited 
to  the  nature  of  intelligent  and  rational  beings. 


JANUARY  XXVIII. 

HOAR-FROST  OBSERVED  ON  THE  GLASS  OF  WINDOWS. 

In  this  little  phenomenon  we  may  observe  with  how  much  simpli- 
city, variety,  and  order,  nature  arranges  her  least  productions.  Though 
we  frequently  admire  the  extraordinary  figures  which  the  frost  on 
glass  presents  to  us,  we  seldom  consider  them  with  much  attention. 
This  phenomenon  is  occasioned  by  heat,  which  in  a  close  apartment 
seeks  to  diffuse  itself  on  all  sides,  and  to  penetrate  cooler  bodies. 
Hence  it  glides  through  the  close  contexture  of  the  glass,  and  in 
passing  through,  leaves  on  the  inside  the  portions  of  air  and  water  to 
which  it  was  united:  it  forms  a  cloud,  which  thickens  as  the  heat 
passes  out,  till  there  remains  too  little  in  the  chamber  to  hold  the  par- 
ticles of  water  on  the  glass  in  a  state  of  fluidity,  and  these  becoming 
congealed,  produce  that  diversity  of  appearances  with  which  the  win- 
dows are  covered.  The  beginning  of  these  figures  is  formed  by 
small  filaments  of  ice,  which  insensibly  unite  :  we  at  first  see  lines 
extremely  fine,  from  which  others  proceed,  which  in  their  turn  pro- 
duce fresh  filaments,  resembling  those  which  grow  from  a  quill.  When 
the  frost  is  strong,  and  the  first  crust  of  ice  is  thickened,  the  most 
beautiful  flowers,  and  lines  of  various  kinds,  sometimes  straight, 
sometimes  spiral,  are  produced.  We  may  here  learn  a  truth  very 
essential  to  our  happiness.  Consider  the  flowers  which  the  frost  has 
pourtrayed  on  the  glass  ;  they  are  beautifully  and  artificially  varied  : 
yet  one  ray  of  the  noon-day  sun  effaces  them !  So  the  imagination 
paints  every  thing  beautiful  to  us  :  but  whatever  it  represents  as 
attractive,  in  the  possession  of  the  goods  of  this  world,  is  but  a 
pleasing  image,  which  the  Hght  of  reason  will  dissipate. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


43 


JANUARY  XXIX. 

ON   THE   USE   OF  BREAD. 

Of  those  aliments  which  are  distributed  with  such  abundance  for 
the  support  of  man,  none  seems  to  be  more  general  or  more  necessary 
than  bread.  It  is  consumed  aUke  by  tlie  poor  and  the  rich,  by  the 
sick  and  by  the  healthy;  and  w^oiild  seem  to  be  the  food  more  par- 
ticularly designed  by  natm'e  for  our  support,  and  we  find  the  plant 
which  produces  the  materials  for  its  preparation  will  grow,  and  its 
fruit  be  matured,  in  almost  every  climate.  We  eat  bread  with  plea- 
sure from  infancy  to  old  age,  whilst  a  continued  succession  of  the 
richest  viands  cloys  and  satiates.  Let  us,  then,  each  time  of  breaking 
bread,  be  mindful  of  its  great  utility,  and  be  grateful  to  the  bounteous 
Giver  of  good  for  such  a  blessing.  But  how  can  we  render  our  gra- 
titude more  acceptable,  than  by  dividing  a  portion  of  the  bread  which 
we  possess  in  abundance  amongst  those  who  have  received  a  more 
limited  quantity  1  And  by  doing  this,  each  time  that  we  break  our 
fast,  we  shall  have  the  pleasing  satisfaction  of  knowing,  that  the 
mouths  of  the  hungry  are  filled,  and  the  needy  sent  away  rejoicing 
for  the  plenty  which  the  favour  of  Heaven  permits  us  to  enjoy. 


JANUARY  XXX. 

OF  OUR  DUTY  IN  RESPECT  TO  SLEEP. 

It  is  painful  to  observe  that  most  people  abandon  themselves  to 
sleep  with  the  utmost  carelessness.  Considering  it  only  in  respect  to 
our  bodies,  the  change  produced  in  them  by  sleep  is  very  considerable 
and  important.  If  we  consider  it  in  other  respects,  and  reflect  upon 
what  may  take  place  during  the  awful  stillness  of  the  night,  it  ap- 
pears to  me,  that  we  ought  never  to  lesign  ourselves  into  the  arms  of 
sleep  without  due  reflection  upon  our  state,  and  being  in  some  degree 
prepared  for  what  may  take  place. 

How  thankful  should  we  be  to  the  Creator  for  the  blessings  of 
sleep  !  Those  whose  hearts  are  oppressed  with  grief,  whom  doubts 
and  anxiety  assail,  w^hom  maladies  aflflict,  tossing  on  their  pillow,  a 
prey  to  care  and  distracting  thoughts,  alone  can  estimate  the  value  of 
sleep,  or  know  the  sweets  of  its  influence.  Let  not  its  treasures  be 
abused  ;  do  not  indulge  them  to  excess,  by  suffering  indolence  and 
eflfeminacy  to  prolong  your  slumbers  beyond  the  time  which  nature 
seems  to  require  ;  nor  suffer  avarice,  ambition,  or  any  passion,  to  cur- 
tail the  necessary  hours  of  repose.  Above  all,  endeavour  to  secure  a 
pure  repose  by  the  tranquillity  of  your  mind  ;  let  it  not  be  rufl^ed  by 
contending  emotions,  nor  disturbed  by  the  pangs  of  a  conscience  ill  at 
rest ;  and  be  well  prepared  to  meet  the  presence  of  your  God  ;  for 


44 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


you  know  not  but  this  night  you  may  be  amongst  the  number  of  those 
who  lie  down  to  rise  no  more.  Let  this  be  your  thought :  '  If  during 
this  night  my  soul  is  required  of  me,  am  I  ready  to  stand  before  my 
Maker,  before  that  Being  from  whom  nothing  is  hidden  ?  We  daily 
feel  our  deficiencies,  and  the  weakness  of  our  hearts  ;  which  we  be- 
seech the  Lord  to  pardon  and  to  blot  out  from  all  remembrance,  for 
the  love  of  Christ  Jesus.' 


JANUARY  XXXL 

OP  THE  REVOLUTIONS  VTHICH  ARE  CONTINUALLY  TAKING  PLACE  IN 

NATURE. 

All  the  vicissitudes  of  nature  are  derived  from  those  immutable 
laws,  which  the  Creator  established  when  he  made  the  heavens  and 
the  earth  to  rise  out  of  chaos.  Since  that  period,  upwards  of  five 
thousand  years  have  passed  away,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  hea- 
vens and  the  earth  have  witnessed  at  certain  times  the  return  of  the 
same  vicissitudes,  and  of  the  same  eflfects ;  they  still  continue  to  see 
that  sun,  that  moon,  and  those  stars,  which  God  once  fonned,  revolve 
with  regularity  in  their  destined  course,  and  perform,  with  uniform 
order,  their  allotted  revolutions.  If  we  ask  what  power  overrules 
them,  what  influence  determines  their  course,  their  order,  and  regu- 
larity, what  force  governs  their  destination,  and  preserves  them  from 
clashing  in  their  orbs,  or  from  whirling  off  into  the  vast  space  of  hea- 
ven, we  are  led  to  the  great  First  Cause  of  all  things,  the  Almighty 
God,  who  has  marked  out  the  circle  they  are  to  describe  in  the  hea- 
vens, who  directs  their  course,  and  preserves  the  beauty  and  the  har- 
mony of  the  universe  with  wisdom  and  power  too  great  for  finite  be- 
ings to  conceive  or  to  comprehend. 

Nearer  to  us,  the  elements  are  in  continual  agitation.  The  air  is 
ever  in  motion,  and  the  waters  vmceasingly  flow ;  rivers  beginning 
with  small  and  imperceptible  sources,  increased  by  a  thousand  tribu- 
tary brooks,  form  streams,  which  rising  in  their  course,  swell  to  an 
amazing  bulk,  and  roll  majestically  towards  the  ocean,  into  which 
they  incessantly  heave  their  accumulating  waves.  From  the  sea's 
vast  surface  vapours  arise,  and  collected  in  the  sky,  form  clouds, 
which  continually  breaking,  shower  down  the  collected  water  in  the 
form  of  rain,  hail,  or  snow  ;  and  this,  penetrating  the  bosom  of  the 
earth,  and  making  its  way  into  the  depths  of  the  mountains,  sup- 
plies the  original  sources  of  the  streams,  thus  preserving  an  endless 
circulation. 

The  seasons  continue  for  a  limited  term,  and  succeed  each  other  in 
the  order  prescribed  from  the  beginning  of  time.  Each  year  the  earth 
resumes  her  fertility,  vegetation  flourishes,  and  the  returning  harvest 
gladdens  her  inhabitants :  her  gifts  are  never  exhausted,  because  her 
productions  are  always  returned  to  her.  Winter  arrives  at  the  ap- 
pointed time,  and  brings  the  necessary  repose  ;  when  this  is  obtained, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


45 


tspring  succeeds,  and  nature  awakes  from  her  short  sleep  with  gayety, 
pleasure,  and  love.  This  circulation  is  observed  in  every  living  crea- 
ture ;  the  blood  transmitted  from  the  centre  flows  by  different  ramifi- 
cations of  vessels  to  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  body,  imparting  to 
them  hfe  and  vigour,  and  then  returns  to  the  heart,  whence  it  pro- 
ceeded. All  these  revolutions  lead  us  to  the  contemplation  of  Him 
who  fixed  their  foundation  at  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  has  since 
by  his  power  and  his  wisdom  continued  to  direct  them  with  unceasing 
perfection. 

We  have  now  seen  the  conclusion  of  this  month,  which  is  gone 
for  ever;  we  can  never  experience  its  return  under  exactly  the 
same  circumstances.  The  period  will  at  last  arrive  when  all  the  vast 
machinery  of  this  universe  must  stop,  and  all  its  wheels  be  motion- 
less ;  when  the  spheres  shall  cease  to  roll,  and  all  the  defined  periods 
of  time  be  lost  in  eternity.  But  the  infinite  and  immutable  God  will 
still  remain,  and  with  him  all  those  into  whose  nostrils  he  has  breathed 
the  breath  of  life. 


FEBRUARY  1. 

EVERY  THING  IN  NATURE   CONDUCES  TO   THE  GOOD  OF  MANKIND. 

It  behoves  thee,  O  man  !  to  be  deeply  sensible  of  the  love  and 
preference  with  which  God  has  honoured  thee,  in  distinguishing  thee 
from  all  other  creatures,  by  so  many  advantages.  Acknowledge,  as 
thou  oughtest,  the  privilege  of  being  peculiarly  the  object  of  the  Di- 
vine liberality,  of  being  the  chief  of  whatsoever  he  has  formed  for 
the  manifestation  of  his  glorious  attributes.  It  is  for  thee  that  all 
nature  labours  ;  in  the  earth,  the  air,  and  the  waters.  For  thee  the 
sheep  is  clothed  with  wool ;  the  horse  by  his  horny  hoofs  is  enabled 
to  bear  heavy  loads,  and  climb  the  most  rugged  steeps :  the  silk- 
worm spins  her  soft  web  ;  the  fishes  in  the  ocean  are  nourished  ;  the 
bee  burrows  in  the  bosom  of  the  sweetest  flowers,  and  extracts  their 
treasures ;  the  stubborn  ox  submits  to  the  yoke  :  and  for  thee  the 
forests,  the  fields,  and  the  gardens,  are  exuberant  in  riches,  the  very 
mountains  are  fruitful,  and  the  depths  of  the  earth  reward  the  toil  of 
him  who  explores  their  recesses. 

It  is  true  that,  compared  with  other  animals,  thy  wants  are  very 
numerous  ;  but  thou  art  infinitely  better  provided  with  faculties,  ta- 
lents, and  industry,  to  make  every  thing  around  thee  subservient  to 
thy  utility  and  pleasure.  Thousands  of  creatures  contribute  to 
nourish  thee,  to  clothe,  to  make  thy  habitation,  and  to  furnish  thee 
with  comforts  and  conveniences  innumerable. 

But  the  bountiful  Creator  has  not  rested  here  ;  he  has  not  merely 
provided  for  thy  wants,  he  has  condescended  to  procure  thee  every 
variety  of  charms :  for  thee  the  lark  carols  her  lay,  and  Philomela 
makes  the  groves  echo  to  her  song  ;  the  meads  and  the  lawns  charm 


46 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


thee  with  their  varied  beauties ;  and  the  air  far  round  smells  sweet 
with  the  flower-scented  breezes.  But  thou  art  infinitely  blessed  be- 
yond all  these,  in  that  noble  faculty  of  reason,  which  makes  the 
haughty  lord  of  the  forest  crouch  at  thy  feet,  and  the  monarch  of  the 
ocean  contribute  to  thy  riches  ;  which  enables  thee  to  w^alk  abroad 
through  nature,  and  contemplate  the  giandeur,  beauty,  and  magnifi- 
cence of  her  works,  and  not  to  rest  satisfied  in  the  admiration  of  their 
order  and  harmonious  catenation,  but  to  reflect  upon  the  first  cause 
of  their  being ;  and  though  removed  from  their  presence,  to  be  still 
able  to  enjoy  endless  delight,  from  the  pleasing  recollection  of  their 
beauty  and  sublimity,  heightened  by  the  power  of  imagination. 

Such  meditations  as  these  could  not  often  fill  the  mind,  without 
our  hearts  being  warmed  with  the  sensations  of  love  and  of  grati- 
tude for  the  Divine  Creator.  When  we  look  around  us,  and  contem- 
plate the  vast  spectacle  of  nature  ;  if  we  soar  into  the  heavens,  or 
dive  down  into  the  deep  ;  w^e  shall  find  all  created  things  ultimately 
conducing  to  our  good.  And  surely  we  cannot  more  effectually  an- 
swer the  great  end  of  our  being,  and  in  some  degree  requite  the  good- 
ness of  God,  than  by  cultivating  those  talents  which  he  has  been 
graciously  pleased  to  confer  upon  us,  and  calling  forth  all  those  finer 
feelings  of  the  heart  which  he  has  permitted  us  to  enjoy.  Without 
the  one,  we  shall  never  be  able  to  comprehend  any  portion  of  the 
subhmity  of  nature  and  nature's  works  ;  without  the  other,  in  vain 
will  the  sighs  of  the  miserable  break  upon  our  ear,  or  the  pangs  of 
the  afflicted  meet  us  in  the  way.  The  storm  may  hoAvl  around,  and 
the  tempest  roar,  but  secure  in  ourselves  we  shall  be  regardless  of  an- 
other's suflfering.  The  consequence  must  then  be,  a  conscience  sear- 
ed, a  mind  weak  and  contracted,  and  a  heart  alive  only  to  villany  and 
ingratitude.  Can  such  ever  be  the  language  of  Christianity,  or  the 
conduct  of  Christians ;  of  men  for  whoiu  ineffable  happiness  and  joy 
is  in  store,  who  are  looking  forward  to  the  holy  kingdom  of  Christ, 
*  where  shall  be  alone  found  pleasure  without  alloy  V 


FEBRUARY  IL 

OF  THE  INFLUENCE  WHICH  COLD  HAS  UPON  HEALTH. 

In  these  severe  winter  months,  it  is  not  unusual  for  many  people 
to  be  lavish  in  their  praises  of  the  other  seasons.  Spring,  summer, 
and  autumn,  whilst  we  enjoy  their  blessings,  are  little  attended  to  ; 
but  when  we  no  longer  profit  by  their  advantages,  we  praise  them 
beyond  measure.  It  is  usual  with  men  to  disregard  their  present 
benefits,  and  only  begin  to  feel  their  value  when  they  can  no  longer 
^njoy  them.  But  is  it  true  that  those  three  seasons  alone  possess 
every  advantage  1  Is  winter  really  so  great  an  evil  as  some  represent 
it  to  be  1  These  are  important  questions,  as  they  considerably  influ- 
jence  our  content  and  repose. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


47 


Spring  and  autumn  are  sometimes  dangerous  from  the  great  and 
sudden  changes  of  temperature,  and  the  frequency  of  epidemic  dis- 
eases ;  and  in  summer  the  heat  is  very  oppressive,  and  productive  of 
debiUty  and  various  maladies.  In  winter  these  inconveniences  are 
not  experienced,  the  heaUh  is  generally  better,  the  body  more  vigor- 
ous, and  the  spirits  cheerful.  In  summer,  when  sinking  under  the 
fervency  of  the  sun's  rays,  how  we  sigh  for  the  shady  retreat,  and  the 
evening  breeze,  to  refresh  our  languid  frame  ;  whilst  during  the  cold 
of  winter  we  are  active  and  alert,  and  rarely  find  the  cold  so  intense 
that  exercise  will  not  procure  us  a  grateful  warmth. 

Thus  even  winter  may  contribute  to  our  health,  and  to  our  plea- 
sures ;  the  Creator  has  provided  for  our  good  in  this  equally  as  much 
as  in  the  other  seasons  :  if  we  are  discontented,  if  we  do  not  enjoy  so 
good  a  state  of  health,  the  fault  probably  rests  with  ourselves.  Per- 
haps we  pass  the  time  in  idleness  and  inactivity,  and,  immured  within 
close  and  heated  rooms,  never  breathe  a  pure  air,  nor  go  abroad  to 
enjoy  many  of  the  days  which  really  are  very  favourable  and  mild  ; 
or,  a  prey  to  anxiety  and  distrust  of  the  future,  our  days  and  our 
nights  are  consumed  in  hopeless  lamentations ;  or  we  corrupt  our 
morals,  and  destroy  our  health  and  peace  of  mind,  by  intemperance. 
How  happy  might  man  be,  how  regular  his  health,  if  he  never  vio- 
lated the  laws  of  nature  nor  departed  from  the  due  bounds  of  mode- 
ration !  if  he  made  repose  alternate  with  labour,  and  pleasure  with 
business  !  Let  us  then  henceforth  apply  ourselves  constantly  to  fulfil 
the  great  designs  of  the  Creator  towards  us  ;  and  serenity  of  mind, 
and  gayety  of  heart,  will  render  our  days  cheerful,  whilst  virtue  and 
temperance  will  make  our  disposition  mild,  and  our  health  firm. 


FEBRUARY  III. 

A  UNIFORMITV  OF  TEMPERATURE  WOULD  BE   DISADVANTAGEOUS  TO 

THE  EARTH. 

Many  people  suppose  that  the  earth  would  be  a  paradise  if  through- 
out the  globe  there  was  an  equal  distribution  of  heat  and  cold,  the 
same  degree  of  fertility,  and  the  same  division  of  day  and  of  night. 
But  admitting  that  things  were  thus  arranged,  and  that  in  every  part 
of  the  world  there  was  the  same  degree  of  cold  and  of  heat,  is  it  true 
that  mankind  would  gain  by  such  a  regulation  more  of  nourishment, 
of  convenience,  or  of  pleasure  1  On  the  contrary,  if  God  had  complied 
with  such  foolish  desires,  the  earth  would  have  been  a  miserable  and 
sorrowful  habitation.  By  the  present  wise  arrangement,  there  is  an 
infinite  diversity  in  the  works  of  nature.  But  what  a  sad  uniformity 
would  reign,  how  the  earth  would  be  spoiled  of  her  beauties  and  her 
charms,  if  the  revolutions  of  the  seasons,  of  light  and  of  darkness,  of 
cold  and  of  heat,  were  no  longer  to  take  place.  Thousands  of  plants 
and  of  animals,  which  can  only  multiply  in  countries  where  the  heat 


48 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


is  at  a  certain  degree,  would  soon  cease  to  exist.  Amongst  the  im- 
mense variety  of  natural  productions,  very  few  can  live  in  all  climates. 
The  greater  part  of  creatures  inhabiting  cold  countries  could  not  sup- 
port the  heat  of  warm  climates ;  whilst  those  transported  from  the 
torrid  zone  to  the  regions  of  the  north  could  as  ill  bear  the  change. 
If,  then,  a  uniformity  of  temperature  existed,  many  natural  productions 
nmst  perish,  and  nature  being  deprived  of  the  charms  of  diversity,  we 
should  lose  innumerable  blessings. 

If  every  country  of  the  earth  produced  the  same  things,  wore  the 
same  appearance,  and  possessed  equal  advantages,  the  necessity  of 
intercourse  would  be  done  away ;  commerce  must  cease,  and  many 
arts  would  remain  unknown  :  the  sciences  also  would  suffer  from  the 
want  of  communication.  Besides,  how  should  we  be  able  to  regulate 
the  degree  of  heat  and  fix  the  temperature  ?  Was  it  every  where  as 
hot  as  in  the  torrid  zone,  who  could  support  the  temperature  1  For 
those  regions  which  are  cold  always  withdrawing  a  portion  of  heat 
from  those  which  are  hotter,  the  heat  diffused  through  the  earth 
would  much  exceed  that  of  the  torrid  zone ;  and  thus  men,  plants, 
and  animals,  must  all  perish.  Suppose  again  a  temperate  heat 
should  every  where  pervade  the  earth,  of  such  a  degree  of  tempera- 
ture as  should  be  beneficial  to  all  creatures,  the  air  must  then  have 
the  same  degree  of  elevation,  density,  and  elasticity.  But  if  this 
were  to  take  place,  one  chief  cause  of  the  winds  would  be  removed, 
and  the  most  disastrous  consequences  must  result  from  their  cessa- 
tion. The  air  would  become  loaded  with  impurities,  the  equable  de- 
gree of  heat  over  the  earth  would  occasion  maladies,  contagions,  and 
plagues,  and  our  imaginary  paradise  would  be  converted  into  a  desert. 

Wise  and  beneficent  Creator  !  all  that  thou  hast  done  is  good. 
This  confession  is  the  result  of  the  reflections  I  have  made  whilst  con- 
templating thy  works.  I  wish  always  to  think  thus  at  the  sight  of 
every  object  which  nature  presents  ;  and,  instead  of  vainly  imagining 
faults  and  imperfections,  may  I  ever  call  to  mind  thy  infinite  wisdoni, 
and  the  weakness  of  my  own  capacity  ! 

Many  things  which  at  first  view  appear  contrary  to  the  order,  and 
unnecessary  to  the  utility,  of  the  universe,  are  arranged  with  wisdom, 
and  regulated  by  goodness  and  beauty.  What  may  to  me  seem  in- 
sufficient and  imperfect,  furnishes  to  men  of  a  more  enlarged  under- 
standing subjects  of  just  admiration,  and  calls  forth  their  praises  of 
the  infinite  perfections  of  the  Creator.  As  in  nature  he  has  made  an 
apparently  unequal  distribution  of  cold  and  heat,  of  light  and  dark- 
ness ;  so  also  he  has  displayed  great  diversity  in  his  dispensations 
towards  rational  creatures,  and  has  not  assigned  the  lot  of  each  in  a 
similar  manner.  Yet  in  this,  as  in  nature,  his  ways  are  ever  the  ways 
of  wisdom  and  love  ;  all  that  the  Lord  has  ordered  and  regulated  is 
perfect  and  admirable  ;  all  his  paths  are  mercy  and  truth  :  to  him  be 
glory  for  ever  and  for  ever. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


49 


FEBRUARY  IV. 

CONSIDERATION  OF  THE  STARS. 

To  every  person  who  delig-hts  to  reflect  on  the  works  of  God,  the 
firmament  of  heaven,  where  the  resplendent  stars  roll  their  vast  orbs, 
opens  a  noble  field  for  observation.  The  harmony,  the  grandeur,  the 
multitude,  and  the  brilliancy  of  these  celestial  spheres,  offer  a  most 
enrapturing  spectacle  to  him  who  loves  silently  to  contemplate  the 
works  of  nature.  The  appearance  of  the  stars  alone,  supposing  even 
that  we  had  no  knowledge  of  their  nature  and  design,  would  be  suffi- 
cient  to  fill  the  soul  with  joy  and  with  admiration;  for  where  can  we 
see  an  object  so  striking  and  magnificent  as  the  expanse  of  ether,  re- 
splendent with  the  varied  luminaries,  which,  in  their  several  degrees 
of  magnitude  and  brightness,  traverse  the  heavens  in  cloudless  ma- 
jesty '?  But  can  we  suppose  that  an  infinitely  wise  Being  has  adorned 
the  celestial  canopy  with  these  subhme  objects  merely  as  a  beautiful 
spectacle  or  picture  ?  Would  he  have  formed  those  suns  merely  that 
the  inhabitants  of  this  earth  might  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  in 
the  firmament  a  number  of  luminous  points,  of  whose  nature  and  des- 
tination they  know  httle,  and  which  are  often  not  to  be  seen  at  all  ] 
No  one  who  takes  a  broad  survey  of  nature,  and  observes  the  won- 
derful harmony  and  agreement  between  all  her  works  and  their  pro- 
posed end,  can  suflfer  such  an  idea  to  enter  his  mind.  We  cannot 
doubt  but  God,  when  he  ordained  the  stars  to  shine,  had  a  much  more 
exalted  view  than  to  procure  for  us  an  agreeable  sight.  Though  we 
cannot  precisely  determine  all  the  particular  ends  which  they  may 
serve,  it  will  not  be  diflücult  to  acknowledge  that  one  of  their  uses  is 
the  advantage  as  well  as  orname-nt  of  this  world,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing observations  will  doubtless  convince  us. 

Amongst  those  stars  which  are  most  easil}^  distinguished,  there  are 
some  constantly  observed  in  the  same  part  of  the  heavens,  and  which 
we  always  see  immediately  over  our  heads.  These  are  certain  guides 
to  those  who  travel  during  the  obscurity  of  night,  by  sea  as  well  as 
by  land.  To  the  mariner  they  point  out  his  course,  and  enable  him 
to  reach  the  place  of  his  destination.  Other  stars  vary  their  aspects, 
and  though  they  always  preserve  the  same  situation  with  regard  to 
one  another,  they  daily,  with  respect  to  us,  change  the  order  of  their 
rising  and  setting ;  and  their  variations,  which  are  performed  in  regu- 
lar order,  are  to  us  of  great  utility ;  they  serve  to  measure  time  and 
to  regulate  it  by  fixed  laws.  The  constant  and  stated  revolutions  of 
the  stars  accurately  determine  the  end  and  the  return  of  the  seasons. 
By  these  means  the  labourer  knows  precisely  when  to  trust  his  seeds 
to  the  earth,  and  in  what  order  to  conduct  the  cultivation  of  the 
fields. 

But  whatever  benefit  the  stars  in  these  respects  may  contribute  to 
the  earth,  we  ought  not  to  presume  that  is  the  only  or  the  principal 
end  which  God  has  proposed  in  the  creation  of  these  wonderful  bodies. 

5  G 


50 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Is  it  possible  to  believe  that  the  wise  Creator  has  filled  the  immense 
expanse  of  ether  with  millions  of  worlds  and  of  suns,  merely,  that  a 
few  individuals  of  this  earth  may  be  enabled  to  measure  time  and 
ascertain  the  return  of  the  seasons  ?  Doubtless  these  numerous  globes 
are  formed  for  much  nobler  purposes,  and  each  one  has  its  particular 
destination.  All  these  stars  being  so  many  suns,  with  the  power  of 
communicating  light,  heat,  and  animation  to  other  spheres,  is  it  pro- 
bable that  God  should  have  endowed  them  with  this  power  in  vain  ? 
Would  he  have  created  suns  which  can  shoot  their  rays  far  as  the 
earth,  unless  he  had  also  created  other  worlds  to  enjoy  their  benign 
influence  1  Would  God,  who  has  peopled  with  so  many  living  crea- 
tures this  earth,  which  is  but  as  a  point  in  the  lieavens,  have  fixed  in  the 
regions  of  space  so  many  vast  orbs,  desert  and  uninhabited,  fruitlessly 
to  roll  their  course  ?  Certainly  not.  We  have  every  reason  to  believe 
that  each  of  the  fixed  stars  which  we  see  over  our  heads  by  thousands, 
one  above  another,  and  all  around,  far  as  the  eye  can  penetrate,  and 
yet  farther,  to  distances  immeasurable  by  our  limited  faculties,  are 
suns  equally  resplendent  as  that  which  beams  on  our  horizon,  the  hfe 
of  our  system  ;  have  each  worlds  revolving  round  their  centre,  and 
receiving  the  blessings  of  their  influence.  We  may  also  suppose  that 
these  spheres  serve  as  abodes  to  diflferent  orders  and  species  of  living 
creatures,  all  rejoicing  in  the  power  and  celebrating  the  magnificence 
of  God.  Though  these  are  only  conjectures,  formed  from  the  httle 
we  know  of  the  wonders  of  nature,  yet  they  are  conjectures  which 
fill  the  mind  with  awe  and  reverence,  open  to  it  a  vast  and  boundless 
field  of  thought,  do  away  the  contracted  and  partial  notions  we  may 
entertain  of  ourselves,  and  tend  to  soften  and  to  ameliorate  our  hearts. 


FEBRUARY  V. 

CURIOUS  FORMATION  OF  THE  EYE. 

The  eye  infinitely  surpasses  all  the  works  of  human  industry.  Its 
structure  is  the  most  wonderful  thing  the  understanding  of  man  can 
become  acquainted  with  :  the  most  skilful  artist  cannot  invent  any 
machine  of  this  kind  which  is  not  infinitely  inferior  to  the  eye  ;  what- 
ever abiUty,  industry,  and  attention  he  may  devote  to  it,  he  will  not 
be  able  to  produce  a  work  that  does  not  abound  with  the  imperfec- 
tions incident  to  the  works  of  men.  It  is  true  we  cannot  become 
perfectly  acquainted  with  all  the  art  which  Divine  Wisdom  has  dis- 
played in  the  structure  of  this  beautiful  organ  ;  but  the  little  that  we 
do  know,  suflSces  to  convince  us  of  the  admirable  intelligence,  good- 
ness, and  power  of  the  Creator. 

In  the  first  place,  the  disposition  of  the  exterior  parts  of  the  eye  is 
excellent.  How  admirably  it  is  defended  !  Placed  in  durable  orbits 
of  bone,  at  a  certain  depth  in  the  skull,  the  globe  of  the  eye  cannot 
easily  suffer  any  injury.     The  over-arching  eyebrows  contribute 


STURMS  REFLECTIONS 


51 


much  to  its  beauty  and  preservation  ;  and  the  eyeHds  more  immedi- 
ately slielter  it  from  the  glare  of  Hght,  and  other  things  which  might 
be  prejudicial  ;  inserted  in  these  are  the  eye-lashes,  which  also  much 
contribute  to  the  above  effect,  and  also  prevent  small  particles  of  dust 
and  other  substances  striking  against  the  eye.* 

The  internal  structure  is  still  more  admirable.  The  globe  of  the 
eye  is  composed  of  tunics,  humours,  muscles,  and  vessels;  the  first 
coat  is  called  the  cornea,  or  exterior  membrane,  which  is  transparent 
anteriorly,  and  opaque  posteriorly ;  next,  the  choroid,  which  is  extremely 
vascular  ;  then  the  uvea,  with  the  iris,  which  being  of  various  co- 
lours, gives  the  appearance  of  different  coloured  eyes,  and  being  per- 
forated, with  the  power  of  contraction  and  dilatation,  forms  the  pupil; 
and,  lastly,  the  retina,  which  is  a  fine  expansion  of  the  optic  nerve, 
and  upon  it  the  impressions  of  objects  are  made.  The  humours  are, 
first,  the  aqueous,  lying  in  the  fore-part  of  the  globe,  immediately 
under  the  cornea  ;  it  is  thin,  liquid,  and  transparent :  secondly,  the 
crystalline,  which  lies  next  to  the  aqueous,  behind  the  uvea,  oppo- 
site to  the  pupil ;  it  is  the  least  of  the  humours,  of  greater  soh- 
dity,  and  on  both  sides  convex  :  the  third  is  the  vitreous,  resembling 
the  white  of  an  egg;  it  fills  all  the  hind  part  of  tlie  cavity  of  the 
globe,  and  gives  the  spherical  figure  to  the  eye.  The  muscles  of  the 
eye  are  six,  and  by  the  excellence  of  their  arrangement  it  is  enabled 
to  move  in  all  directions.  Vision  is  performed  by  the  rays  of  light 
falling  on  the  pellucid  and  convex  cornea  of  the  eye,  by  the  density 
and  convexity  of  which  they  are  united  into  a  focus,  which  passes 
the  aqueous  humour  and  pupil  of  the  eye,  to  be  more  condensed  by 
the  crystalline  lens.  The  rays  of  light  thus  concentrated,  penetrate 
the  vitreous  humour,  and  stimulate  the  retina,  upon  which  the  images 
of  objects,  painted  in  an  inverse  direction,  are  represented  to  the  mind 
through  the  medium  of  the  optic  nerves. 

Thus  we  have  abundant  cause  to  thank  the  God  of  mercy  who  has 
so  exquisitely  formed  the  eye,  and  to  acknowledge  the  wisdom, 
power,  and  admirable  skill  displayed  in  its  structure  and  wonderful 
organization.  May  we  never  forget  the  benefits  we  have  received, 
nor  the  blessings  we  enjoy,  but  ever  look  up  to  the  Author  of  our  be- 
ing with  gratitude  !  When  we  see  the  various  woes  and  miseries 
which  aflflict  many  of  our  fellow-creatures,  let  not  our  eyes  refuse  the 
tear  of  sympathy,  nor  our  hearts  be  shut  against  compassion.  May 
tears  of  joy  flow  from  every  eye,  w^hen  we  receive  the  renewed  proofs 
of  God's  goodness  and  love;  and  let  us  rejoice  when  we  are  enabled 
to  soothe  the  anguish  of  our  afflicted  brethren,  or  wipe  the  tear  from 
the  poor  and  the  disconsolate.  Thus  shall  we  fulfil  the  design  of  our 
Maker,  and  enjoy  the  approbation  of  our  God. 

.  *  Besides  these,  amongst  the  external  parts  are  enumerated  the  lachrymal  gland, 
which  secretes  the  tears ;  the  lachrymal  caruncle,  a  small  fleshy  substance  at  the  inner 
angle  of  the  eye  ;  the  puncta  lachrymalia,  two  small  openings  on  the  nasal  extremity  of 
each  eye-lash ;  the  lachrymal  duct,  formed  by  the  union  of  the  ducts  leading  from  the 
puncta  lachrymaha,  and  conveying  the  tears  into  the  nose  ;  the  lachrymal  sac,  a  dilata- 
tiqa  of  the  lachrymal  canal. — E. 


52 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


FEBRUARY  VI. 

THE  FOG. 


Amongst  the  numerous  phenomena  which  we  see  in  winter,  the 
fog  or  mist  particularly  merits  our  attention.  It  is  formed  of  exha- 
lations, which  occupy  the  lower  region  of  the  atmosphere  ;  they  arise 
from  the  earth,  and  are  condensed  by  the  greater  coldness  of  the  sur- 
rounding air.  During  the  continuance  of  a  mist,  a  grey  mantle  is 
spread  over  the  face  of  nature  ;  every  object  is  imperfectly  seen  and 
enveloped  in  obscurity  ;  the  eye  often  in  vain  attempts  to  pierce  the 
thick  curtain  ;  all  is  confused  and  indistinct ;  the  rising  sun  slowly 
disperses  these  vapours,  which  at  length  are  gradually  dissipated  ; 
his  power  is  confessed,  obscurity  vanishes  before  his  rays,  the  sur- 
rounding objects  are  restored  to  our  view,  and  the  heavens  resume 
their  wonted  light  and  beaut)^  The  mist  is,  however,  still  seen  on 
the  earth,  but  it  is  close  to  the  ground,  or  hangs  on  the  roofs  of 
houses  ;  and  the  horizon,  so  long  veiled  from  sight,  now  opens  upon 
us.  As  the  face  of  the  earth,  before  the  sun  beams  upon  it,  is  over- 
spread with  fog,  dew,  and  vapours,  so  once  were  the  blessed  regions 
of  science  and  of  knowledge  enveloped  in  the  thick  mist  of  ignorance 
and  of  superstition  ;  whole  countries  were  obscured,  kingdoms  obum- 
brated,  and  darkness  ruled  with  a  leaden  sceptre  the  grovelling  race 
that  licked  and  grew  fat  beneath  her  chains  ;  whilst  error,  prejudice, 
and  sloth,  so  clouded  their  faculties  and  benumbed  their  feelings,  that 
light  was  not  sought  for,  nor  wisdom  esteemed  ;  human  reason  was 
no  more,  and  innocence  had  retired.  At  length  the  moment  arrived, 
when,  the  measure  of  their  iniquity  being  filled,  the  triumph  of  dark- 
ness, of  ignorance,  and  of  superstition  was  to  cease.  The  sun  once 
more  dawned,  and  flashed  such  a  steady  blaze  of  light  from  the  hori- 
zon, that  the  gloom,  which  for  centuries  had  buried  man  in  obscu- 
rity, and  rendered  torpid  all  his  powers,  at  once  fled,  overpowered  by 
the  fervency  of  the  beams  which  penetrated  her  secret  recesses,  and 
exposed  to  the  face  of  day  the  horrors  of  her  naked  deformity.  But, 
because  in  this  day  of  light  and  of  truth  we  are  much  superior  to 
those  dark  ages  in  every  thing  that  can  dignify  and  bless  human  na- 
ture, let  us  not  think  our  work  completed,  and  that  we  have  no  more 
to  do.  Though,  emerging  from  Gothic  gloom  and  Vandalic  darkness, 
the  light  shines  with  greater  brilliancy  and  power,  we  are  still  young 
in  knowledge,  and  very  ignorant  of  the  true  and  pure  tenets  of  reli- 
gion, which  still  labours  to  throw  oflf  the  shackles  of  ceremony  and 
the  yoke  of  superstition,  with  which  the  ignorance,  the  presumption, 
and  the  audacity  of  man  has  obscured  her  simphcity  and  sullied  her 
purity.  The  blessed  period  is  probably  hastening,  when  an  enlight- 
ened race  of  men  shall  look  back  upon  our  generation  with  as  much 
compassion  as  we  now  feel  for  the  victims  of  oppression  and  monkish 
superstition,  in  what  we  are  pleased  to  call  the  dark  ages. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


53 


FEBRUARY  VII. 

OF   THE  TIDES. 

The  greatest  part  of  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  covered  with^water, 
which  is  called  sea,  and  is  very  distinct  from  lakes  and  rivers.  These 
contain  more  or  less  water  as  the  season  is  dry  or  humid,  whilst  the 
vast  body  of  the  ocean  ever  preserves  its  bulk  unaffected  by  such  con- 
tingencies. Twice  in  the  day  it  ebbs  and  flows  according  to  certain 
rules  ;  when  at  its  greatest  height  on  any  shore  it  begins  to  decrease, 
which  lasts  about  six  hours,  and  is  called  the  ebb.  At  the  end  of  six 
hours  it  begins  again  to  flow,  and  continues  to  increase  six  hours 
longer,  when  it  gains  its  greatest  elevation  ;  it  then  again  retires,  and 
rises  again  in  the  same  space  of  time  ;  so  that  in  twenty-four  hours 
the  sea  has  twice  ebbed  and  twice  flowed. 

The  regular  and  alternate  motion  of  the  sea  is  called  its  flux  and 
reflux,  or  ebbing  and  flowing,  and  constitutes  the  tides.  When  it 
rises  and  flows  towards  the  coast  it  is  called  flux,  when  it  retires  from 
the  shore,  reflux.  These  tides  are  chiefly  influenced  by  the  moon,  and 
in  some  degree  by  the  sun,  and  are  greatest  during  the  new^  and  the 
full  moon,  and  least  in  the  quarters.  When  both  the  luminaries  are 
in  the  equator,  and  the  moon  at  her  least  distance  from  the  earth,  the 
tide  rises  the  highest.  The  greatest  tides  do  not  happen  till  after  the 
autumnal  equinox,  and  return  a  little  before  the  vernal.  Their  motion 
is  more  remarkable  in  the  ocean  than  in  small  seas,  and  would  con- 
tinue for  a  great  length  of  time  though  the  sun  and  moon  were  to  be 
annihilated.  There  is  some  little  variation  in  the  flux  and  reflux, 
which  causes  the  tide  of  the  succeeding  day  to  be  rather  later  than 
that  of  the  preceding  one  ;  and  they  do  not  return  at  the  same  hour 
till  the  expiration  of  thirty  days,  the  period  of  a  lunation. 

Thus  we  find  the  tides  are  affected  by  the  changes  of  the  moon, 
and  influenced  by  its  power  of  attraction  ;  the  sun  also  contributes  to 
their  production,  and  the  combined  action  of  these  two  luminaries 
furnishes  a  complete  solution  of  all  the  phenomena  presented  to  us  by 
the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  sea.  The  advantages  arising  from  the 
tides  are  great ;  by  their  means,  the  streams  of  rivers  being  checked 
in  their  course  to  the  sea,  the  bed  of  the  river  becomes  deeper,  and 
ships  of  the  largest  burden  are  enabled  to  sail  up  their  channel  with 
safety ;  vessels  approaching  bays  wait  for  this  increase  of  water,  and 
then  enter  in  security :  aided  too,  by  the  tides,  they  sail  up  rivers 
against  their  natural  course,  and  carry  the  means  of  plenty  and  abun- 
dance into  the  interior  of  countries.  Another  great  advantage  in  the 
tides  is,  that  by  their  means  the  waters  of  the  ocean  continually  roll 
to  and  fro,  and  are  thus  preserved  fresh  and  free  from  putridity  and 
stagnation  ;  for  though  frequently  agitated  by  winds,  and  often  per- 
turbed by  a  storm,  the  weaves  would  soon  recover  from  such  partial  in- 
terruption, and  regain  a  state  of  calm,  were  it  not  for  the  continued 
flux  and  reflux  of  the  tides.    From  this  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the  sea 


54 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


we  may  call  to  mind  the  fluctuation  of  life,  which  increases  to  a 
certain  height  and  then  declines.  Every  thing  in  this  state  of  proba- 
tion is  fluctuating  and  of  uncertain  tenure  ;  no  joy,  no  pleasure  is 
permanent ;  the  gayest  moments  of  happiness,  the  hours  of  mirth  and 
of  festivity,  suddenly  depart  ;  and  man,  in  the  despondency  of  his 
heart,  feels  the  misery  of  his  existence,  and  sighs  for  a  state  of  purity 
and  of  happiness,  where  the  troubles,  the  cares,  and  the  sorrows  which 
here  afflict  and  render  comfortless  his  being,  can  never  intrude  to  dis- 
turb his  felicity,  or  molest  his  repose.  Let  us  then,  by  the  integrity  of 
our  conduct,  the  propriety  of  our  actions,  and  the  humanity  of  our 
hearts,  merit  the  reward  of  a  hope-inspiring  certainty  of  obtaining 
such  a  happy  abode,  to  cheer  us  on  our  w^ay  through  this  dreary  pil- 
grimage ;  and  when  anxious  and  ready  to  faint,  to  gladden  our  souls 
with  some  bright  gleams  of  the  heavenly  regions,  where  bliss,  and 
ecstacy,  and  perfect  fehcity,  for  ever  dwell. 


FEBRUARY  VIIL 

THE  SUN  IS  NOT  ALWAYS  APPARENT. 

The  heavens  are  not  continually  obscured  by  clouds  of  rain  and 
snow.  After  showering  down  their  contents  upon  the  earth,  they 
sometimes  separate,  and  serenity  again  diflfuses  her  cheerful  smiles 
throughout  the  sky.  The  aspect  of  the  sun,  after  an  obscurity  of 
many  days,  again  animates  life,  and  fills  the  creation  with  joy  and 
youth;  from  his  appearing  so  seldom  in  winter,  and  then  for  only  a 
very  short  space,  we  better  know  how  to  appreciate  his  blessings. 
And,  perhaps,  this  will  hold  good  with  regard  to  many  other  gifts  of 
Providence :  we  are  too  apt  to  consider  the  choicest  blessings  of  life 
with  indifference,  if  constantly  in  our  possession.  Health,  repose, 
friendship,  and  affluence,  with  many  other  benefits  w^hich  we  daily 
enjoy,  seldom  appear  to  men  as  valuable  as  they  really  are  ;  and  their 
true  worth  is  often  never  felt  till  they  are  irrevocably  lost.  Rightly 
to  know  and  sufficiently  to  feel  the  happiness  of  a  bosom  friend,  per- 
fect health,  and  an  independent  income,  we  should  first  have  been 
stretched  on  the  bed  of  sickness,  deserted  by  our  dearest  friends,  and 
reduced  to  the  miseries  of  hopeless  poverty. 

How  uncertain  and  inconstant  is  the  serenity  of  the  sky  in  the 
winter  season  !  How  little  are  we  able  to  rely  with  certainty  upon  the 
possession  of  the  beneficent  rays  of  the  sun  !  At  present  he  shines 
with  unclouded  majesty  ;  but  soon  the  clouds  will  thicken,  and,  before 
noon,  the  splendour  and  the  beauty,  which  in  the  morning  shone  upon 
the  earth,  will  be  eclipsed.  Such  is,  likewise,  the  instability  of  all 
human  transactions  ;  we  can  never  promise  to  ourselves  durable  plea- 
sures, and  uninterrupted  felicity.  This  consideration  should  render 
us  careful  and  circumspect  in  the  hour  of  prosperity,  and  moderate 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


55 


our  desire  for  earthly  joys,  since  every  thing-  is  subject  to  change  and 
inconstancy.  Virtue  alone  is  immutable  ;  virtue  alone  makes  us  sup- 
port with  unbending  firmness,  the  vicissitudes  and  the  contingencies 
of  life,  unmoved  by  the  frowns  or  the  smiles  of  fortune  ;  and  enables 
us  to  sustain  the  mocks  and  the  scorn  of  the  world,  whilst  we  pity  and 
compassionate  the  weak  children  of  delusion,  who  show  their  gilded 
wings  in  the  sunshine  of  to-day,  and  to-morrow  are  heard  of  no  more. 


FEBRUARY  IX. 

OF  EARTHQUAKES. 

The  earth  is  subject  to  two  kinds  of  shocks ;  one  of  which  is  caused 
by  the  action  of  subterraneous  fires,  and  the  explosion  of  volcanoes. 
These  commotions  are  only  felt  at  short  distances,  and  when  the  vol- 
canoes act,  immediately  before  a  complete  eruption.  As  soon  as  the 
materials  which  form  the  subterranean  fires  begin  to  ferment  and  in- 
flame, the  fire  makes  an  effort  in  every  direction  ;  and,  if  it  does  not 
find  a  natural  vent,  throws  up  the  earth  with  violence,  and  forces  a 
passage.  In  this  kind  of  earthquake  the  shock  is  more  confined,  sel- 
dom extending  for  many  miles. 

But  there  is  another  species  of  earthquake,  very  different  in  its 
effects,  and  most  likely  produced  by  very  different  causes.  In  this  no 
eruption  takes  place,  but  the  shaking  of  the  earth  is  frequently  felt  at 
an  immense  distance ;  we  have  instances  of  their  being  felt  at  the 
same  time  in  France,  England,  and  Germany:  they  are  accompanied 
with  a  deep  rumbling  sound,  and  their  effects  are  often  dreadfully 
fatal. 

Of  all  the  catastrophes  and  desolations  which  have  ever  visited 
the  earth,  none,  since  the  flood,  have  been  so  terribly  awful  in  their 
effects,  and  destructive  in  their  consequences,  as  earthquakes.  When 
rivers  swelled  into  rapid  torrents  burst  their  banks,  and  with  one  im- 
mense gush  pour  upon  the  neighbouring  country,  sweeping  every 
thing  in  their  way,  there  is  still  some  resource ;  we  can  fly  to  the  tops 
of  our  houses,  or  ascend  the  summits  of  the  mountains,  and  in  safety 
behold  the  vast  deluge,  which,  soon  as  its  first  fury  has  abated,  gently 
retreats  to  its  former  boundaries.  But  when  the  earthquake  violently 
perturbs  the  face  of  nature,  when  the  earth  heaves  like  the  waves  of 
the  ocean,  agitated  by  a  storm,  and  opens  a  tremendous  chasm,  which 
receives  within  its  abyss  a  wiiole  city,  vain  is  the  thought  of  flight, 
and  ineffectual  the  hope  of  safety.  The  thunder  roars,  and  the  red 
lightnings  flash,  and  desolation  marks  their  course  ;  the  plague  sweeps 
through  a  country,  and  despair  and  haggard  wretchedness  track  its 
wide-wasting  progress  ;  but  in  an  earthquake,  the  earth  heaves, 
opens,  and  whole  provinces  are  seen  no  more,  whilst  the  perturbation 
affects  half  the  globe.  Who  can  stand  before  the  Almighty  when  he 
exercises  his  power  1  Who  can  oppose  the  God  of  Nature  when  he 


56 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


rises  to  judge  the  nations  ?  The  hills  tremble,  and  the  mountains  rock 
to  their  centre.  The  foundations  of  the  earth  are  shaken,  and  the 
inhabitants  greatly  fear.  His  word  cousumeth  like  fire,  and  the 
rocks  melt  at  his  coming.  But  let  not  man  vainly  imagine  that  these 
convulsions  of  nature  are  merely  to  destroy  him,  when  a  blast  of 
wind  might  in  an  instant  lay  waste  the  whole  creation.  Can  any 
one  be  so  weak  as  to  suppose  that  ttie  whole  artillery  of  heaven  must 
be  employed,  when  a  few  individuals  are  ingulphed  in  the  bosom  of 
the  earth  ?  and  that  to  punish  the  iniquity  of  a  town,  or  to  strike 
terror  into  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  nature  is  to  be  thus  con- 
vulsed !  Consider  rather,  in  these  dreadful  visitations,  a  much  nobler 
and  more  exalted  view.  Consider  them  as  instruments  in  the  hands 
of  God,  working  for  the  general  good  and  advantage  of  mankind. 
Earthquakes  answer  certain  ends  in  the  system  of  nature,  without 
which  it  probably  could  not  attain  its  present  degree  of  perfection  ; 
and  in  all  great  states,  it  is  found  that  individual  must  give  way  to 
general  good :  so  also  with  regard  to  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants,  it 
is  better  that  a  small  part  suffer  than  that  the  whole  be  destroyed. 
Let  us  then  acknowledge  that  all  which  appears  terrible  in  nature, 
all  the  seeming  imperfections  in  the  universe,  are  necessary  for  the 
due  order  and  preservation  of  the  whole  ;  that  partial  evils  are  always 
to  be  disregarded ;  and  that  all  tends  to  show  the  glory  and  perfec- 
tions of  God.  We  shall  then  adore  and  bless  his  name,  though  deso- 
lation impend  and  destruction  threaten  ;  we  shall  repose  upon  him 
with  confidence,  and  though  the  final  termination  of  the  world  may 
seem  to  be  at  hand,  and  the  mountains,  hurled  from  their  bases,  be 
plunged  into  the  sea,  He  will  be  our  protector,  our  supporter,  and  sure 
resting-place. 


FEBRUARY  X. 

f 

UPON  LIFE   AND  DEATH. 

God  has  observed  the  most  exact  and  wonderful  order  in  the  hfe 
and  death  of  man  ;  both  are  measured  and  regulated  in  the  best 
manner;  and  nothing  is  more  evident  than  the  wisdom  of  God  in  the 
population  of  the  world.  In  a  given  number  of  years,  a  proportional 
number  of  people  of  every  age  dies.  Out  of  thirty-five  or  thirty-six 
living  persons,  one  dies  each  year  :  but  the  proportion  of  births  is 
rather  greater ;  for  ten  who  die,  in  the  same  period  of  time,  and 
among  the  same  number  of  persons,  twelve  are  born.  In  the  first 
year,  one  infant  out  of  three  generally  dies ;  in  the  fifth  year,  one 
out  of  twenty-five;  and  so  on,  the  number  of  deaths  lessening  till 
the  age  of  twenty-five,  when  they  again  begin  to  increase.  How 
evident  is  the  care  which  Divine  Providence  extends  over  his  crea- 
tures !  From  the  very  moment  of  their  entering  the  world  he  pro- 
tects and  watches  over  them ;  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich  enjoy  his 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


57 


protection.  Let  us  then  not  anticipate  the  hour  of  death  with  fear, 
nor  render  unpleasant  our  time  with  apprehensions  ;  but  firmly  rely 
upon  the  all-sufficient  arm  of  God,  who  will  support  us  through  hfe 
with  tender  care,  and  when  it  seemeth  meet,  enable  us  to  i-esign  our 
bodies  to  their  native  dust  with  firmness,  in  the  confidence  of  our 
soul,  divested  of  its  cumbrous  load,  winging  its  flight  with  joy  to  the 
regions  of  eternal  glory.  Let  not  the  supposition  of  a  long  life,  aris- 
ing from  a  present  good  state  of  health,  make  you  forgetful  of  the 
duties  you  owe  to  God  and  to  one  another,  under  the  idea  that  there 
will  be  time  enough  allowed  you  to  prepare  for  the  awful  change. 
Life  is  extremely  uncertain  :  though  from  strength  of  constitution 
some  individuals  may  not  be  so  liable  to  illness,  they  may  be  hurried 
off  by  accidents  ;  and  no  man,  however  strong,  is  secure  from  conta- 
gion. But  a  much  more  powerful  motive  than  fear  should  excite  us 
so  to  act,  that  our  deeds  shall  always  find  favour  with  the  Almighty ; 
the  pleasure  arising  from  good  actions,  v^hich  is  a  constant  reward 
and  source  of  pure  delight  to  the  virtuous,  the  sensations  of  which 
are  unknown  to  the  wicked,  who  exchange  the  only  true  enjoyment 
we  are  capable  of,  for  false  and  fleeting  pleasures,  whose  consequences 
are  sorrow,  disease,  and  death. 


FEBRUARY  XL 

FORMATION  OF  ICE. 

When  water  is  exposed  to  the  influence  of  cold  air,  it  gradually 
loses  its  fluidity,  and  becomes  a  solid  body,  which  we  call  ice.  This 
change,  which  at  this  season  of  the  year  comes  so  frequently  under 
our  notice,  is  well  deserving  of  attention.  Ice  is  of.  less  specific 
gravity  than  water  ;  for  if  we  put  a  vessel  containing  water,  the 
surface  of  which  is  frozen  over,  inco  a  temperate  heat,  the  ice  soon 
detaches  itself  from  the  sides  of  the  vessel,  and  floats  on  the  top  of 
the  water.  One  cause  of  its  lightness  is  the  increase  of  volume  ; 
for  although  the  general  law  of  cold  is  to  contract,  in  this  instance, 
at  the  time  of  congelation,  such  an  expansion  takes  place,  that  ves- 
sels are  frequently  broken  by  the  power  of  the  dilatation,  the  violence 
of  which  is  sufficient  to  cleave  a  globe  of  copper  of  such  thickness 
as  to  require  a  force  of  28,000  pounds  weight  to  produce  a  similar 
effect. 

When  the  ice  first  shoots  in  crystals  over  the  surface  of  the  water 
it  is  transparent,  but  as  it  increases  in  thickness  becomes  opaque, 
which  is  owing  to  the  air  contained  in  the  ice  occasioning  a  more  fre- 
quent refraction  of  the  rays  of  light.  Exhalations  continually  arise 
from  the  ice,  even  during  the  greatest  cold.  It  is  found  from  experi- 
ments that,  during  the  most  intense  cold,  four  pounds  of  ice  lose  one 
pound  weight  by  evaporation  in  the  space  of  eighteen  days. 

The  manner  in  which  ice  begins  to  form  is  very  curious  ;  when  it 

H 


58 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


slightly  freezes,  a  number  of  needle-shaped  crystals  shoot  in  all  direc- 
tions from  the  inner  circumference  of  the  vessel,  making  numerous 
angles,  and  uniting  together,  form  upon  the  surface  of  the  water  a 
very  thin  pellicle  of  ice  ;  to  these  succeed  more,  which  multiply  and 
enlarge  in  form  of  plates,  and  being  increased  in  number  and  thick- 
ness unite  to  the  first  pellicle.  As  the  ice  thickens,  a  multitude  of 
air  bubbles  are  seen,  and  the  greater  the  degree  of  cold,  the  more 
these  increase.  When  it  freezes  very  strongly,  a  thin  crust  is  formed, 
which  shoots  from  the  circumference  to  the  centre  ;  under  this  others 
are  seen  of  a  triangular  shape,  with  the  base  parallel  to  the  sides  of 
the  vessel,  and  these  soon  increase  so  much  that  a  very  thick  mass  of 
ice  is  formed. 

By  frequently  reflecting  upon  these  phenomena,  we  shall  be  more 
and  more  convinced  of  the  beauty  of  nature,  and  of  the  harmony 
and  regularity  that  pervade  her  minutest  productions,  all  tending  to 
fulfil  the  views  of  a  just  and  wise  God  ;  and  though  we  have  not  the 
satisfactory  consolation  of  knowing  the  full  extent  of  those  views, 
the  little  we  are  permitted  to  understand  of  them  is  enough  to  excite 
in  us  the  desire  of  adoring  the  all-wise  Creator,  and  celebrating  his 
power,  whilst  we  magnify  his  holy  name. 


FEBRUARY  XII. 

SPHERICAL  FIGURE   OF   THE  EARTH. 

It  was  once  generally  supposed  that  the  earth  is  a  vast  plain :  but 
were  this  the  case,  its  external  boundaries  might  be  arrived  at,  and  in 
approaching  any  place  we  could  not  discover  the  tops  of  towers  and 
mountains  till  we  had  seen  their  bases.  The  earth  is  incontestably 
proved  to  be  a  globe,  though  not  exactly  spherical,  for  it  is  rather  more 
elevated  under  the  line,  and  flattened  towards  the  poles,  something 
resembling  the  figure  of  an  orange.  But  this  deviation  from  a  true 
sphere  is  very  slight ;  about  fifty  miles,  a  difiference  scarcely  percep- 
tible in  a  globe  whose  circumference  is  25,020  miles,  and  diameter 
7964.  The  rotundity  of  the  earth  is  demonstrable  from  its  shadow 
in  eclipses  of  the  moon  being  always  bounded  by  a  circular  line,  and 
by  its  having  been  frequently  circumnavigated  ;  besides,  if  it  was  not 
spherical,  how  would  the  stars  appear  to  rise  and  to  set  sooner  to  the 
countries  eastward  than  to  those  more  to  the  west. 

Here  we  have  fresh  cause  to  admire  the  wisdom  of  the  Creator, 
who  has  organized  this  earth  with  the  greatest  perfection,  with  a  form 
so  well  adapted  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants.  Light  and  heat, 
which  are  so  necessary  to  the  creation,  are  by  this  means  distributed 
with  uniformity,  and  in  a  more  equable  degree  throughout  the  earth. 
It  is  from  this  that  the  due  return  of  day  and  night  is  ensured,  and 
that  the  degrees  of  heat  and  of  cold,  of  moisture  and  of  dryness,  are 
rendered  so  regular  and  constant.    The  water  is  equally  distributed 


STURM'S  REFLE("riONS 


59 


over  the  earth,  and  the  winds  every  where  cause  their  salutary  influ- 
ence to  be  feh..  Had  the  earth  any  other  figure,  we  should  be  de- 
prived of  all  these  advantages  :  some  countries  would  be  like  a  para- 
dise, whilst  others  would  be  in  a  state  of  chaos  ;  one  part  would  be 
buried  by  the  waters,  and  another  parched  by  the  fervour  of  the  sun. 
Some  countries  would  be  exposed  to  furious  tempests,  which  would 
devastate  and  destroy  them  ;  whilst  others  would  be  exhausted  for 
want  of  fresh  currents  of  air.  One  part  of  the  world  would  be  con- 
demned to  endure  a  perpetual  heat,  and  another  would  be  entirely 
deprived  of  the  sun's  rays. 

If  we  did  not  here  acknowledge  the  all-powerful  hand  of  a  wise 
and  beneficent  Creator,  we  must  be  guilty  of  the  greatest  pride  and 
most  consummate  ignorance  !  Should  we  deserve  to  be  the  inhabi- 
tants of  an  earth  so  admirably  arranged  and  exquisitely  fashioned, 
if,  upon  seeing  its  beauties  and  matchless  order,  and  enjoying  a  thou- 
sand blessings,  we  denied  the  existence  of  an  all-creative  Power,  or 
were  wanting  in  acknowledgments  for  his  mercy  and  goodness  ?  May 
we  never  be  guilty  of  such  base  ingratitude  ;  but,  filled  with  senti- 
ments of  awe  and  sublimity  at  the  sight  of  God's  wonderful  works, 
may  w^e  elevate  our  thoughts  to  Heaven,  and  fixing  our  minds  upon 
the  Divine  Power,  humbly  adore  his  wisdom  and  goodness. 


FEBRUARY  XIII. 

SHORT  DURATION  OF  SNOW. 

We  see  the  instability  of  the  snow,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  it 
disappears  when  played,  upon  by  the  sun-beams,  or  exposed  to  the 
eflfects  of  a  humid  mild  air,  and  frequent  showers.  Frequently  the 
whole  aspect  of  nature,  in  a  few  hours,  assumes  a  new  appearance, 
and  scarcely  a  trace  of  snow  is  left  behind.  By  these  sudden  changes 
we  may  justly  be  reminded  of  the  inconstancy  and  vanity  of  all  hu- 
man affairs.  Every  season,  and  every  variation  that  their  succession 
induces,  declares  to  us  with  a  loud  and  impressive  voice,  that  all  is 
uncertain,  all  vain,  and  of  short  duration.  If  we  look  around  us 
through  the  vast  field  of  nature,  shall  we  find  any  thing  which  is  not 
fragile  and  perishable  ?  How  soon  are  we  bereft  of  the  pleasures  of 
sense  ;  scarcely  do  we  begin  to  enjoy  them  when  they  elude  our  eager 
grasp  !  Often  when  the  sun  first  gilds  the  earth,  we  are  light,  easy, 
gay,  and  content,  smiling  with  comfort  and  plenty  ;  but  ere  night  has 
drawn  her  sable  curtain,  our  pleasure  is  fled,  our  enjoyment  ceased, 
and  grief  weighs  heavy  on  our  aching  heart.  Where  exists  the  indi- 
vidual who,  at  some  period  or  other,  has  not  cruelly  felt  the  uncer- 
tainty and  short  duration  of  terrestrial  joys,  and  who  has  not  known 
the  pangs  of  disappointed  hope  1  What  is  more  inconstant  than  the 
favours  of  fortune,  or  more  uncertain  than  the  continuance  of  life  and 
the  blessings  of  health  ?  Yet  whilst  we  are  in  possession  of  these 


60 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


benefits,  such  reflections  seldom  or  never  occur ;  like  those  who, 
tempted  by  the  beauty  of  some  winter's  morn,  sally  out  unprepared 
for  the  storm,  which  at  that  season  they  ought  to  expect.  Whilst 
fortune  smiles,  and  we  live  in  a  round  of  gayety  and  pleasure,  we 
laugh  at  all  fears  of  their  ever  failing,  and  despise  all  thoughts  of 
preparing  for  an  evil  day.  But  fleeting  as  the  snow  beneath  the  sun- 
beams, are  all  the  enjoyments  and  gratifications  which  do  not  arise 
from  the  influence  of  religion,  the  exercise  of  the  mind,  and  the  feel- 
ings of  the  heart ;  cultivate  these,  and  you  will  be  enabled  to  enjoy 
a  portion  of  that  felicity  which  endureth  for  ever — the  sure  reward 
of  virtue  and  a  well-spent  life. 


FEBRUARY  XIV. 

THE  CREATION. 

The  time  was  when  this  earth,  the  heavens  and  their  revolving 
suns,  existed  not :  God  ordained  their  being,  and  at  his  almighty  will 
they  arose.  Before  that  period  the  whole  was  one  huge  and  shape- 
less mass,  where  confusion  ruled  and  chaos  held  her  empire  ;  the 
earth  was  without  form  and  void,  and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of 
the  deep.  On  the  first  day  of  the  creation  the  spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  the  face  of  this  rude  and  formless  heap,  which  now  felt  a  motion 
penetrate  deep  as  the  centre,  from  above,  and  beneath,  and  all  around. 
He  said,  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light,  and  God  called  the 
light  day,  and  the  darkness  he  called  night.  Hitherto  the  waters  and 
the  earth  were  confounded  together,  undistinguished  from  each  other. 
God  separated  them,  and  said,  Let  there  be  a  firmament  in  the  midst 
of  the  waters,  and  let  it  divide  the  waters  from  the  waters.  And 
God  made  the  firmament,  and  divided  the  waters  which  were  above 
the  firmament,  and  it  was  so  :  and  God  called  the  firmament  heaven  : 
and  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  second  day.  The  waters 
still  covered  the  face  of  the  earth,  when  on  the  third  day  God  said, 
Let  the  waters  under  the  heaven  be  gathered  together  unto  one  place, 
and  let  the  dry  land  appear ;  let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass,  the  herb 
yielding  seed,  and  the  fruit  tree  yielding  fruit  after  his  kind  :  and  it 
was  so.  On  the  fourth  day  God  said.  Let  there  be  lights  in  the  fir- 
mament of  heaven  to  divide  the  day  from  the  night ;  and  let  them 
be  for  signs,  and  for  seasons,  and  for  days,  and  for  years  :  and  it  was 
so.  The  sun  appeared  as  the  greater  light  to  rule  the  day,  and  the 
moon,  with  inferior  splendour,  to  rule  the  night :  the  stars  also  were 
then  created.  On  the  fifth  day  God  said.  Let  the  waters  bring  forth 
abundantly  the  moving  creature  that  hath  life  ;  and  immediately  the 
whales  rolled  in  the  ocean,  and  the  seas  teemed  with  life  :  and  the 
winged  fowl  he  gave  to  possess  the  air.  And  God  blessed  them,  say- 
ing,"Be  fruitful  and  multiply,  and  fill  the  waters  in  the  seas ;  and  let 
fowls  multiply  in  the  earth. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


61 


And  God  said,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  the  hving  creatures  after 
his  kind,  cattle  and  creeping  thing,  and  beast  of  the  earth  after  his 
kind  :  and  it  was  so.  Every  thing  was  now  prepared  ;  and  God 
created  man,  to  whom  he  gave  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and 
over  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  over  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth,  and 
over  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth.  For  this  pur-- 
pose  he  created  him  in  his  own  image,  after  his  own  likeness,  and 
endued  with  a  rational  soul.  As  a  companion  to  man  he  created 
woman,  with  equal  gifts  and  equal  rule  :  to  them  both  he  gave  do- 
minion over  the  earth  and  all  created  things,  and  with  them  he  rested 
from  all  the  Avorks  which  he  had  made. 

Can  any  one  reflect  upon  this  sublime  history  without  being  asto- 
nished at  the  power,  the  intelligence,  and  infinite  wisdom  manifested 
in  the  works  of  the  creation  ?  Or  can  any  one  peruse  it  without 
pausing  awhile  to  admire  the  grandeur  of  the  objects  and  the  sub- 
limity of  the  design  1  Wherever  we  cast  our  view  we  see  the  proofs 
of  a  Divinity,  whose  glory  the  heavens  declare,  whose  power  unli- 
mited their  extent  gives  to  knoAV.  It  is  only  by  being  led  from  the 
sight  of  the  objects  of  the  creation  to  a  contemplation  of  the  Divinity, 
of  his  attributes,  and  of  our  own  real  condition,  that  we  derive  any 
true  benefits  from  their  presence,  or  even  that  we  deserve  to  be  inha- 
bitants of  this  fair  universe.  But  we  cannot  acknoAvledge  the  great- 
ness and  the  glory  of  God  in  the  works  of  the  creation,  without  our 
souls  being  enlarged,  and  our  hearts  penetrated  with  love  and  grati- 
tude for  the  Divine  Author.  If  this  truth  Avere  universally  felt,  we 
should  have  httle  need  of  coercion  to  deter  men  from  vice,  or  of  lec- 
tures to  excite  them  to  virtue.  Let  those  Avhose  feelings  are  not  yet 
callous,  Ava  lk  abroad  and  contemplate  nature,  Avhere  they  will  find 
objects  sufficient  to  arrest  their  attention,  to  excite  their  utmost  admi- 
ration, and  to  call  forth  their  charity  and  their  love.  Here  is  the 
source  of  every  thing  that  is  sublime,  beautiful,  and  enrapturing; 
and  here  is  ever  to  be  found  the  Almighty  God,  Avho  alone  is  Avorthy 
of  our  homage,  our  praise,  and  our  adoration. 


FEBRUARY  XV. 

OF  BRUTES. 

When  we  attentively  examine-  the  bodies  of  diflferent  animals,  we 
discover  many  advantages  which  they  possess  over  man.  Many  of 
them  have  bodies  much  stronger  and  more  compact  than  those  of  the 
human  species.  Most  of  them  at  their  first  entrance  into  the  Avorld 
are  capable  of  using  all  their  limbs,  of  seeking  for  their  food,  and  of 
following  the  instinct  imparted  to  them  by  nature  ;  and  are  not  liable 
to  the  cruel  sufferings  Avhich  we  experience  in  our  infancy,  and  which 
so  often  injure  our  constitution.  And  Avhat  an  admirable  instinct  and 
sagacity  they  display  !  What  address  and  skill  they  exert  in  the  use 


62 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


of  their  senses  !  How  exquisite  is  their  sense  of  smell  !  How  piercing 
their  si^hi!  How  rapid,  how  nimble,  how  active  all  their  movements! 
How  they  speed  and  fly  along !  And  if  we  consider  the  wonderful 
structure  of  some  of  their  organs,  the  noble  and  majestic  figure  of 
some  animals,  we  shall  find,  with  respect  to  bodily  perfections,  we 
often  yield  to,  or  scarcely  equal,  many  of  the  brute  creation. 

Some  people  are  so  weak  as  to  complain  that  God  has  not  given 
them  the  wings  of  the  eagle,  the  force  and  speed  of  the  fiery  courser, 
the  subtle  smell  of  the  dog,  the  eye  of  the  hawk,  and  the  agility  of 
the  stag.  But  such  desires  are  the  oflfspring  of  ignorance,  of  folly, 
and  of  presumption  ;  of  men,  who  do  not  feel  that  they  possess  a  soul 
which  enables  them  to  soar  far  above  these  animals,  and  to  make  all 
their  powers  serve  the  convenience  of  man.  Without  mind  we  should 
indeed  be  inferior  to  brutes,  which  so  far  excel  us  in  bodily  powers  ; 
but  they  enjoy  these  advantages  to  enable  them  to  live  in  the  state 
allotted  them  without  the  reasoning  faculty  :  for  miserable  indeed 
would  have  been  their  lot,  did  they  not  possess  their  present  advan- 
tages ;  or  were  they  possessed  of  reason,  in  a  state  of  slavery,  living 
only  to  be  butchered,  or  to  perpetually  toil  for  the  benefit  of  man. 

We  have  here  renewed  cause  to  admire  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of 
Providence,  who  has  thus  formed  the  brute  creation.  We  see  his 
wisdom  in  having  given  them  instinct,  sagacity,  and  strength,  in  a 
certain  degree,  proportionate  to  their  necessities ;  and  made  all  sub- 
servient to  man :  and  his  mercy  is  manifest  in  their  entire  ignorance 
of  their  situation.  They  possess  all  the  pleasures  they  are  capable  of 
enjoying,  but  they  cannot  anticipate  evil,  nor  think  beyond  the  pre- 
sent moment :  formed  for  this  life  only,  they  cannot  in  thought  pene- 
trate unknown  regions,  nor  feel  any  pleasure  but  from  the  senses ; 
whilst  the  mind  of  man  finding  nothing  in  this  state  of  existence 
worthy  to  rest  upon,  reposes  in  confidence  upon  the  certainty  of  a 
future  state,  where  all  its  powers  will  shine  with  unclouded  lustre. 


FEBRUARY  XVI. 

OF  THE  MOON. 

Of  all  the  heavenly  bodies,  next  to  the  sun,  the  moon  has  the  most 
salutary  influence  upon  our  earth  ;  and  though  her  grandeur  and 
beauty  did  not  mark  her  as  an  object  highly  worthy  of  our  attention, 
she  would  yet  be  so  from  the  very  great  benefit  she  produces.  With 
the  naked  eye  we  can  discover  several  phenomena  in  the  moon  ;  we 
find  she  is  an  opaque  body,  with  her  luminous  part  always  opposed  to 
the  sun,  shining  only  by  reflecting  the  sun's  light ;  hence  it  follows 
that  that  side  which  is  next  the  sun  is  enlightened,  whilst  the  other 
half  must  be  dark  and  invisible  :  when  exactly  opposite  the  sun  she 
appears  with  a  round  illumined  orb,  which  we  call  the  full  moon. 
By  her  continual  changes  we  know  that  she  shines  with  a  borrowed 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


63 


light ;  for  if  ihe  light  was  her  own,  being  globular,  we  should  always 
see  her  with  a  full  round  orb  like  the  sun.  She  turns  round  the  earth 
once  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  finishes  her  complete  revolution  in 
about  twenty-nine  days  and  a  half.  But  what  we  can  observe  by 
the  naked  eye  is  far  short  of  what  we  discover  by  the  aid  of  tele- 
scopes, and  ascertain  by  nice  calculations.  How  great  are  our  obli- 
gations to  those  enlightened  men  who  have  extended  the  limits  of 
our  knowledge  by  researches  and  discoveries,  which  enable  us  to 
form  more  distinct  and  certain  notions  of  the  heavenly  bodies  !  By 
means  of  their  profound  investigations  we  now  know  that  the  moon, 
apparently  so  small,  is  but  thirteen  times  less  than  this  earth  ;  its  di- 
ameter is  2180  miles,  and  its  distance  from  the  earth's  centre  240,000. 
Upon  the  face  of  the  moon  several  spots  are  discovered  visible  even  to 
the  naked  eye.  Some  of  these  are  pale  and  obscure,  others  more 
luminous,  as  they  reflect  more  or  less  light.  The  luminous  spots  are 
high  mountains,  which  reflect  the  sun's  light  from  their  lofty  sum- 
mits ;  and  the  dark  spots  are  the  transparent  fluid  bodies  of  seas, 
which  from  their  nature  absorb  most  of  the  rays  of  light,  and  reflect 
very  few.*  These  discoveries,  to  which  we  can  oppose  no  well- 
grounded  objection,  inform  us,  that  the  moon  is  a  body  much  more 
considerable  and  of  greater  consequence  than  ignorant  people  have 
imagined.  The  magnitude,  the  distance,  and  all  that  we  have 
hitherto  discovered  respecting  this  planet,  afford  us  fresh  proofs  of  the 
almighty  power  of  the  Creator.  But  can  this  vast  body  have  no 
other  use  and  destination  than  to  illumine  this  earth  during  the  night  ] 
Can  this  body,  which  in  many  respects  resembles  our  world,  and  ap- 
pears calculated  to  perform  the  same  ends,  and  to  which  this  earth 
itself  serves  as  a-moon,  be  created  merely  to  produce  the  ebbing  and 
flowing  of  the  sea,  and  some  other  of  the  advantages  we  derive  from 
it  1  Can  it  be  supposed  that  the  surface  of  a  body  some  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  square  miles  in  extent  should  be  destitute  of  living  crea- 
tures ]  Would  the  Infinite  Being  have  left  this  immense  space  empty 
and  desert  1  We  cannot  reconcile  such  a  supposition  with  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  God ;  let  us  rather  suppose  that  he  has  established 
his  empire  in  the  moon  as  well  as  in  our  world,  and  that  he  receives 
aspirations  of  gratitude  from  millions  of  creatures  who  adore  the 
same  God,  the  same  Father  and  Saviour,  as  do  the  inhabitants  of  this 
earth,  and  for  the  happiness  of  whom  God  has  the  same  cares  and 
solicitude  as  for  us. 

But  as  our  knowledge  upon  this  great  and  interesting  subject  must 

*  As  this  opinion  is  regarded  by  some  to  be  erroneous,  it  may  be  instructive  to  quote 
that  of  Mr.  Ferguson,  who  says,  'Those  dark  parts  of  the  moon,  which  were  formerly 
thought  to  be  seas,  are  now  found  to  be  only  vast  deep  cavities  and  places  which  reflect 
not  the  sun's  light  so  strongly  as  others,  having  many  caverns  and  pits  whose  shadows 
fall  within  them,  and  are  always  dark  on  the  side  next  the  sun  ;  which  demonstrates 
their  being  hollow  :  and  most  of  these  pits  have  little  knobs  like  hillocks  standing  within 
them,  and  casting  shadows  also,  which  cause  these  places  to  appear  darker  than  others 
which  have  fewer  or  less  remarkable  caverns.  All  these  appearances  show  that  there 
are  no  seas  in  the  moon;  for  if  there  were,  their  surfaces  would  appear  smooth  and 
even^  like  those  on  the  eafth.'— E. 


64 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


necessarily  be  limited,  at  present  let  us  be  grateful  for  tiie  certain  and 
known  benefits  we  receive  from  the  moon,  in  which  the  tender  cares 
of  Providence  for  man  are  evidently  manifest.  The  moon  is  so  near 
to  us  that  we  receive  from  her  more  light  than  from  all  the  fixed 
stars  together  :  by  this  means  we  have  a  noble  and  sublime  object  to 
contemplate,  and  receive  incalculable  advantages  from  its  presence  ; 
since  by  its  light  we  enjoy  a  continued  day,  and  are  enabled  to  travel 
in  safety  and  with  pleasure,  as  well  as  pursue  many  necessary  occu- 
pations. By  its  means  we  can  also  exactly  measure  time,  and 
through  the  medium  of  the  almanack  the  vulgar  are  benefited  by  the 
abstruser  studies  of  the  philosopher.  Lord  Omnipotent !  I  adore  thy 
wisdom  and  goodness  in  the  light  of  the  moon  as  in  that  of  the  sun. 
As  I  contemplate  the  heavens  which  thou  hast  formed,  thy  grandeur 
fills  me  with  admiration  and  astonishment.  May  I,  O  Lord  !  lift  up 
the  eyes  of  my  understanding  to  thee,  far  above  all  terrestrial  ob- 
jects !  To  thee  who  hast  created  all  these  magnificent  globes,  and 
wisely  arranged  them  for  our  benefits.  The  starry  heavens,  which 
illumine  the  winter  nights,  aimounce  thy  majesty,  and  attest  the  infi- 
nity of  thy  empire  ! 


FEBRUARY  XVIL 

RAIN  FERTILIZES   THE  EARTH. 


The  fertility  of  the  earth  chiefly  depends  upon  the  moisture  which 
it  receives  from  rain  and  aqueous  vapours.  If  the  irrigation  of  the 
earth  depended  upon  the  care  and  labour  of  man,  his  toil  would  be 
unceasing  ;  and  with  all  his  exertions  he  could  not  prevent  the  deso- 
lating effects  of  dryness  and  famine.  Men  might  assemble  and  unite 
all  their  forces,  they  might  exhaust  their  rivers  and  their  fountains, 
without  being  able  to  supply  the  creation  Avith  a  sufiSciency  of  mois- 
ture to  prevent  the  plants  and  vegetables  drooping  and  perishing  for 
the  want  of  water.  Hence  we  see  hoAV  necessary  it  is  that  the  ex- 
halations and  vapours  should  be  collected  and  retained  in  the  clouds, 
which,  by  the  aid  of  winds,  shower  down  fertility  upon  the  ground, 
by  refreshing  and  renewing  the  vigour  of  plants,  trees  and  vegeta- 
bles. The  treasures  so  exuberantly  teeming  on  the  earth's  surface 
are  richer  than  the  gems  of  Golconda  or  the  mines  of  Peru  ;  for  we 
can  live  without  gold  and  without  silver,  but  without  herbs  and  grain 
we  could  not  exist.  The  advantages  of  rain  are  incalculable  ;  it 
entirely  renovates  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  the  furrows  of  the  field 
eagerly  drink  the  descending  waters.  The  seeds  develope  their 
beauties,  and  the  labours  of  the  husbandman  are  rewarded.  The 
farmer  works,  sows,  plants,  and  God  gives  fehe  .  increase.  Man  does 
all  that  depends  upon  his  exertions,  and  what  he  cannot  effect  God 
executes;  in  winter  he  covers  the  seeds  with  a  protecting  mantle, 
and  in  summer  warms  and  vivifies  them  by  the  sun's  rays,  and  adds 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


65 


to  their  nourishment  by  rain.  He  crowns  the  year  with  his  benefits, 
and  causes  his  blessings  so  to  succeed  each  otlier,  that  men  are  not 
only  nourished  and  supported,  but  their  hearts  overflow  with  joy  and 
gayety. 

The  showers  fall  upon  the  pastures  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  httle 
hills  rejoice  on  every  side.  The  fields  are  white  wifh  flocks,  the  val- 
leys are  covered  with  corn  ;  they  shout  for  joy,  they  also  sing.  Bless 
then  and  rejoice  in  your  Creator  ;  by  his  order  the  seasons  are  renew- 
ed, and  succeed  one  another  with  beauteous  regularity.  For  us  the 
rains  descend,  and  the  earth  is  clothed  with  fertility  and  verdure. 
God  opens  his  liberal  hand,  and  showers  down  blessings  upon  man  ; 
our  countries  receive  them,  and  joy  and  gladness  fill  the  earth.  Let 
us  then  adore  the  Creator,  and  sing  songs  of  joy  and  of  praise  to  his 
honour  and  glory  for  ever  and  ever. 


FEBRUARY  XVIIL  . 

OF  THE  SHORTNESS  AND  UNCERTAINTY   OF  LIFE. 

We  require  frequent  warriings  to  induce  us  to  reflect  on  the  short- 
ness and  uncertainty  of  hfe.  Such  remembrances  are  highly  useful : 
for  we  have  naturally  a  strong  inclination  to  drive  from  our  minds  all 
ideas  of  death ;  and  if  that  was  not  the  case,  there  are  always  a 
thousand  cares,  and  innumerable  species  of  dissipation,  which  divert 
us  from  thinking  upon  our  end,  or  which  render  such  thoughts  of 
little  efficacy.  It  is,  however,  necessary  often  to  reflect  upon  this 
state,  which  one  day  or  other  must  arrive  ;  and  by  frequently  and 
duly  contemplating  it,  we  shall  meet  its  approaches  with  firmness, 
and  not  sink  overcome  by  fear.  In  this  season  of  the  year  many 
images  of  death  daily  present  themselves  before  our  eyes.  Nature, 
every  where  deprived  of  those  beauties  and  fascinating  charms  which 
in  summer  delighted  our  view  and  filled  our  souls  with  pleasure  ;  the 
fields,  and  the  gardens,  where  we  have  so  often  walked  with  delight, 
and  inhaled  the  gentle  breezes  that  wafted  over  a  thousand  fragrant 
flowers,  conveyed  the  sweetest  perfumes  and  balmy  airs,  where  every 
sense  was  joy,  are  now  deserted,  wild,  desolate,  and  forlorn ;  nought 
is  seen  around  but  one  wide  waste  of  bleak  sterility,  where  no  ver- 
dure delights,  no  variety  charms,  and  night  usurps  the  day. 

Perhaps  this  may  be  a  just  representation  of  some  now  flourishing 
in  the  pride  of  youth  and  the  full  vigour  of  intellect  and  gayety  of 
heart ;  when  old  age  shall  weigh  heavy  upon  them,  and  all  their 
former  vigom-,  cheerfulness,  and  alacrity  shall  have  ceased  ;  when  the 
infirmities  peculiar  to  that  state,  and  a  temper  soured  by  vexation  and 
disappointment,  will  no  longer  bear  the  amusements  and  pleasing 
society  they  formerly  delighted  in  ;  and  when  they  no  longer  possess 
attractions  to  render  them  agreeable  or  even  supportable  companions. 
The  tedious  and  gloomy  days  of  such  an  old  age  will  be  a  burden, 


66 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


from  the  oppression  of  which  every  rational  being  will  long  to  be 
relieved.  Though  the  days  of  winter  are  so  short  we  have  no  reason 
to  complain,  since  there  are  so  few  attractions  to  induce  us  to  walk 
abroad  in  this  season  ;  neither  should  v/e  regret  that  the  period  of 
life  is  of  short  duration,  but  rather  consider  it  as  a  blessing,  since  its 
way  is  often  strewed  with  thorns  and  beset  with  evils  ;  and  many 
have  to  di  ink  of  the  cup  of  misery  even  to  the  dregs. 

Many  animals  pass  the  winter  in  a  profound  sleep,  from  which  they 
do  not  begin  to  awaken  till  they  feel  the  mild  and  reanimating  heat 
of  the  sun  communicate  vitality  to  their  system.  The  long  night  of 
winter  steals  upon  us  unexpectedly  in  the  midst  of  our  occupations, 
and  interrupts  our  labours  ;  and  here  we  may  perceive  a  lively  image 
of  the  night  of  death,  which  often  arrives  when  least  expected,  and 
when  least  wished  for.  In  the  midst  of  a  thousand  projects  and 
schemes  of  future  felicity  and  of  future  grandeur,  when  perhaps  on 
the  eve  of  some  great  and  important  transaction,  the  cold  hand  of 
death  presses  on  our  eye-lids,  and  they  are  for  ever  sealed  with  dark- 
ness :  when  this  solemn  period  shall  arrive,  may  the  thoughts  and  the 
actions  which  we  are  at  that  instant  engaged  in,  bear  the  torch  of 
truth  to  be  applied  :  and  may  w^e  not  shrink  from  the  trial  !  Thus 
we  may  continually  derive  the  most  useful  and  beneficial  reflections 
from  the  changes  effected  by  winter  ;  and  let  us  not  fear  often  to  con- 
template those  images  of  death,  from  which  we  may  gain  many 
essential  advantages.  Let  us  make  ourselves  familiar  with  the  idea 
of  our  latter  end,  and  let  it  in  every  situation  of  life  come  home  to 
our  hearts :  we  shall  then  be  able  to  receive  the  awful  messenger 
without  dread  ;  it  will  be  a  consolation  to  us  in  misfortune,  a  friend 
and  faithful  counsellor  in  prosperity,  and  a  shield  against  every  temp- 
tation> 


FEBRUARY  XIX. 

PRINCIPLE  OF  COMBUSTION  GENERALLY  DIFFUSED  THROUGHOUT 

NATURE. 

During  the  long  nights  of  winter,  w^hen  the  cold  is  intense,  fire  is 
a  benefit  which  we  cannot  too  highly  prize  or  gratefi^illy  acknowledge. 
How  comfortless  and  miserable  we  should  be  if  combustible  matters 
were  not  abundantly  diffused  through  nature  !  They  are  contained 
in  sulphur,  in  animal  fat,  in  oils,  in  wax,  in  vegetables,  in  bitumens, 
&c.  And  though  these  substances  appear  inactive,  no  sooner  are 
they  ignited  than  they  evince  abundant  activity  and  motion.  Igni- 
tion may  be  performed  by  the  collision  of  bodies  having  proper  access 
to  the  air ;  thus  with  a  flint  and  steel  striking  against  each  other, 
sparks  are  produced  ;  and  this  is  the  ordinary  way  in  which  the  fire 
we  use  for  domestic  purposes  is  obtained.  But  we  are  satisfied  with 
enjoying  the  continual  services  that  this  element  performs,  without 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


67 


troubling  ourselves  to  inquire  how  it  is  produced.  If  we  were  more 
attentive  to  the  causes  of  certain  natural  phenomena,  we  should 
every  where  find  proofs  of  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness.  With  the 
most  beneficial  views  God  has  diflfused  throughout  nature  the  prin- 
ciple of  combustion  in  such  a  variety  of  substances,  that  we  can  con- 
vert it  to  all  kinds  of  uses,  and  enjoy  its  useful  powder  upon  every 
occasion.  Happy  should  we  be  if  we  only  accustomed  ourselves  to 
pay  more  attention  to  the  benefits  w^e  daily  receive  from  the  bountiful 
hand  of  God  !  But  I  fear  it  is  their  constant  occurrence  which  ren- 
ders us  callous  and  indiflferent  to  such  high  marks  of  Divine  favour. 
And  yet  the  proofs  that  we  daily  receive  of  the  goodness  of  God  are 
those  which  we  can  least  of  all  pass  by  ;  they  are  such  as  most  pecu- 
liarly deserve  to  be  acknowledged  with  joy  and  unceasing  gratitude. 
Let  us  then  often  refiect  upon  our  wise  and  merciful  Creator,  and 
whilst  we  rejoice  in  his  blessings,  let  us  not  forget  the  source  from 
whence  they  flow,  nor  cease  to  remember  that  by  again  dispensing 
to  less  fortunate  beings  those  benefits  the  goodness  of  God  has  enabled 
us  to  obtain,  we  most  eflfectually  render  our  gratitude  acceptable  to 
the  Lord. 


FEBRUARY  XX. 

EQUAL  DISTRIBUTION  OF   THE  SEASONS. 

Though  the  rays  of  the  sun  now  fall  obliquely  upon  our  part  of  the 
earth,  and  all  our  fields  are  under  the  influence  of  freezing  winds, 
there  are  countries  which  enjoy  all  the  youth  of  spring ;  others, 
where  the  rich  harvest  repays  the  toiling  husbandman  ;  and  others, 
where  the  autumnal  fruits  luxuriate.  So  equally  has  Divine  Wisdom 
regulated  the  revolutions  of  the  seasons,  and  distributed  to  all  his 
creation,  at  different  seasons,  the  same  blessings.  His  heavenly  love 
is  extended  alike  to  all  the  beings  which  he  has  created,  without 
regard  to  any  particular  country  or  people  ;  it  is  suflftcient  for  him 
that  they  require  his  assistance.  The  rays  of  his  goodness  shine  upon 
the  deserts  of  Arabia,  as  well  as  on  the  smiling  plains  of  Europe ; 
and  either  pole  confesses  his  Divine  regard.  But  if  God  has  so  equally 
distributed  the  blessings  of  this  hfe,  some  will  be  ready  to  ask  why 
certain  countries  are  deprived  of  the  charms  of  spring,  whilst  others 
are  so  abundantly  favoured  ?  Why  the  sun's  rays  are  diffused  so 
partially,  that  in  some  climates  the  nights  as  well  as  da3^s  continue  for 
months  ;  and  why,  towards  the  poles,  the  countries  covered  with  ice 
are  not  as  beautiful  and  fertile  as  our  plains  and  valleys  ?  But  who 
are  you  that  presume  to  ask  such  questions  ?  What  right  have  you 
to  call  on  the  Infinite  God  to  account  for  the  manner  in  which  he 
regulates  the  world  1  Ye  proud  and  presumptuous  men,  learn  humi- 
lity, and  acknowledge  the  traces  of  supreme  wisdom  in  those  things 
which  your  want  of  intelhgence  makes  appear  a  fault.    Perhaps  you 


68 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


imagine  that  Providence  has  refused  to  certain  parts  of  the  earth  the 
advantages  and  the  enjoyments  which  are  lavished,  with  a  profuse 
hand,  upon  other  more  favoured  cUmes.  Such  a  supposition  may 
accord  with  the  confined  views  which  some  people  take  of  nature ; 
but  they  who  are  in  the  habit  of  grasping  at  a  whole,  and  not  rest- 
ing content  with  a  partial  view  of  things,  perceive  and  know  that 
God  has  given  to  each  country  all  that  is  requisite  for  the  life,  sup- 
port, and  happiness  of  its  inhabitants.  Every  thing  is  arranged  in 
the  climate  where  they  live  according  to  their  wants,  and  in  a  man- 
ner the  best  calculated  for  their  preservation. 

The  length  of  the  day  varies  in  different  parts  of  the  globe  accord- 
ing to  certain  rules ;  there  is  scarcely  an  inhabited  country  which 
the  sun  favours  with  his  presence  longer  than  another,  only  the  times 
in  which  he  is  visible  are  different.  The  inhabitants  of  the  torrid 
zone  enjoy  days  and  nights  of  an  equal  length,  whilst  those  of  the 
contiguous  zones  have  this  equality  only  twice  in  the  year.  Though 
the  sun,  by  his  annual  course,  gives  winter  to  one  country  whilst  an- 
other enjoys  summer,  he  never  fails  to  return  again  to  impart  his 
blessings  ;  and  if,  during  our  winter,  the  days  are  not  so  long  as  the 
nights,  the  summer  amply  compensates  for  the  difference :  and 
though  the  inhabitants  of  the  frigid  zone  are  deprived  of  the  sun's 
light  for  several  months,  they  afterward  enjoy  it  for  months  together; 
vegetation  is  rapid ;  and  in  the  absence  of  the  sun  they  enjoy  a  long 
twihght. 

Where  then  is  the  country  which  does  not  receive  the  marks  of 
Divine  love  1  or  the  region  in  which  the  traces  of  a  merciful  Creator 
may  not  be  discovered  1  Where  is  the  being  which  does  not  experi- 
ence the  goodness  of  God  in  every  season  ?  or  which  does  not  rejoice 
to  live  under  his  dominion  ;  and  whose  heart  does  not  overflow  with 
joy  and  gratitude  for  the  numberless  blessings  shed  abroad  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  ?  May  we  more  and  more  feel  our  minds  enlarged  and 
our  hearts  warmed  with  that  pure  and  heavenly  love  which  the  all- 
bounteous  God  of  nature  has  for  the  works  of  his  creation  !  May 
this  happy  feeling  be  the  portion  of  every  individual !  And  may  we 
ever  be  found  amongst  the  number  of  those  who  endeavour  to  know 
the  Almighty,  by  imitating,  to  the  utmost  of  their  ability,  in  love, 
in  virtue,  and  in  true  charity,  the  example  of  Him,  whose  sun  shines 
upon  the  poor  as  well  as  on  the  rich — on  the  guilty  as  upon  the  in- 
nocent ! 


FEBRUARY  XXI. 

UTILITY  OF  OUR  SENSES  CONSIDERED. 

Man  is  possessed  of  senses,  through  the  medium  of  which  he  may 
acquire  information  and  ideas  of  surrounding  objects.  Our  eyes 
enable  us  to  perceive  different  objects  by  the  rays  of  light  being  re- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


69 


fleeted  from  them  :  by  this  means  also  we  become  acquainted  with 
the  difference  of  colours ;  by  our  ears  we  know  the  different  sounds 
which  vibrate  on  the  air  ;  by  the  senses  of  taste  and  smell  different 
odours  and  properties  of  bodies  become  known  to  us ;  and  by  the 
sense  of  feeling  we  receive  the  sensations  of  hot  and  cold,  of  wet 
and  dry,  of  hard  and  soft,  &c.  How  miserable  should  we  be  if  de- 
prived of  these  senses  !  If  bereft  of  sight,  how  should  we  be  pre- 
served from  the  dangers  which  surround  us,  or  be  able  to  provide  for 
our  support  1  We  should  no  longer  derive  pleasure  and  improvement 
from  contemplating  the  grand  spectacle  of  the  heavens,  the  beauties 
of  the  country,  or  the  great  objects  of  nature  ;  and  the  delight  we 
receive  from  the  presence  of  our  fellow-creatures,  particularly  of 
those  whose  mind-illumined  face  displays  the  culture  of  their  souls, 
would  cease.  Without  the  sense  of  hearing  we  could  not  enjoy  the 
reciprocal  communication  of  thought ;  nor  be  wrapt  into  oblivion  of 
care  by  the  soothing  sounds  of  plaintive  melody,  or  excited  to  joy 
and  to  pleasure  by  more  jocund  strains.  Without  taste  and  smell  we 
should  be  deprived  of  a  thousand  agreeable  sensations,  and  should  be 
subject  to  numerous  inconveniencies  ;  and  without  the  sense  of  feel- 
ing we  should  be  rendered  incapable  of  arriving  at  any  degree  of  per- 
fection in  the  arts,  or  of  providing  for  our  necessities.  We  cannot 
then  too  much  rejoice  and  bless  God  that  we  are  enabled  to  see,  hear, 
feel,  and  speak. 

Let  us  then  adore  our  Creator,  and  acknowledge  and  celebrate  his  - 
goodness:  let  us  offer  up  songs  of  joy  and  h^nnns  of  glory  and  of 
thanksgiving  to  the  immortal  God,  and  let  our  ears  attentively  hsten 
to  the  harmonious  voice  of  myriads  chanting  his  praise.  May  we 
never  despise  or  abuse  the  value  of  our  senses,  which  have  all  been 
given  us  for  the  noblest  purposes  !  How  we  should  dishonour  the 
liberal  bounty  of  Heaven  and  the  admirable  structure  of  our  body, 
if  we  only  employed  our  senses  in  the  pursuit  of  vain  pleasures,  or  in 
the  gratification  of  sensuality  !  Wretched  and  contemptible  indeed  is 
the  man  who  has  no  higher  delight,  no  more  exalted  feehngs,  than  in 
sensual  enjoyment ;  who  is  unacquainted  with  the  exhaustless  trea- 
sures of  a  cultivated  mind  ! 

The  period  will  arrive  when  the  pleasures  of  sense  must  cease, 
when  the  eye  can  no  longer  be  gratified  with  the  views  of  nature, 
the  ear  no  longer  receive  the  soft  sounds  of  the  flute,  nor  the  taste  be 
susceptible  of  its  accustomed  sensations.  The  time  will  arrive  when 
all  outward  objects  will  no  more  interest  or  make  any  impression  on 
the  senses.  How  miserable  then  will  be  the  lot  of  those  who  have 
basked  in  the  sun  during  their  youth,  given  themselves  up  to  every 
species  of  sensual  gratification,  and  neglected  to  prepare,  by  culti- 
vating their  minds,  for  the  evil  day,  when  their  feeble  and  emaciated 
bodies  are  sinking  beneath  a  load  of  infirmities,  and  when  they  will 
have  nothing  to  rouse  their  mental  energies,  which  have  long  since 
been  annihilated,  nothing  to  cheer  and  encourage  their  drooping  spir* 
its,  nor  any  thing  to  satisfy  their  impotent  desires.  May  we  ever  be 
enabled,  through  Divine  favour,  to  make  a  proper  use  of  our  senses, 


70 


STURM'S  REFLECTlOrsS. 


and  never  lose  sight  of  the  great  end  for  which  we  were  created  ! 
Let  us  commiserate  the  condition  of  those  unfortunate  beings  who 
are  defective  in  tlieir  senses,  and  do  all  in  our  power  to  render  their 
existence  easy  and  comfortable  ;  and  by  such  conduct  we  shall  best 
show  our  gratitude  for  the  superior  perfection  we  are  blessed  with. 


FEBRUARY  XXII. 

THE  SOUL  BECOMES  ELEVATED  BY  REFLECTING  UPON  GOD. 

When  we  give  up  our  hearts  to  God,  we  begin  to  answer  the  end  for 
which  we  were  created,  and  enjoy  a  portion  of  that  felicity  which  is 
reserved  for  the  blessed  in  Heaven.  How  contemptible  and  insignifi- 
cant are  all  the  amusements  of  the  world,  when  our  hearts  have  been 
rejoiced  and  ameliorated,  and  our  minds  expanded  by  reflecting  upon 
God  and  Christ  Jesus  !  When  I  compare  my  imperfections  and  in- 
ability with  the  infinite  majesty  of  God,  how  little  and  humble  I  ap- 
pear ;  how  my  pride  is  lost  and  confounded  in  the  infinity  of  Divine 
Perfection  !  and  how^  I  long  for  the  glorious  period  when  I  shall  be 
more  nearly  acquainted  with  the  everlasting  God  !  But  am  I  suflS- 
ciently  impressed  with  the  inestimable  advantages  which  the  frequent 
reflection  upon  God  will  produce,  in  order  to  give  me  firmness  to 
employ  myself  in  such  a  pleasing  duty  as  often  as  1  am  required  ] 
Alas  !  instead  of  fiUing  my  mind  with  this  great  and  sublime  object, 
my  thoughts  too  often  ramble  upon  trivial  and  perishable  subjects : 
instead  of  fixing  my  desires  upon  the  meditation  of  Divine  Wisdom  ; 
instead  of  loving  and  cherishing  the  bright  essence  and  power  of  this 
Eternal  Being,  which  unites  every  thing  thai  is  good,  great,  and 
amiable,  and  alone  can  make  me  happy ;  I  perhaps  feel  no  pleasure, 
but  in  the  gratification  of  my  senses  ;  my  aflfections  are  placed  on  ter- 
restrial objects,  and  I  only  love  things  which  are  perishable,  and 
which  cannot  contribute  to  my  happiness.  May  my  past  experience 
render  me  more  wise  in  future  !  Till  now,  I  have  only  loved  and  set 
niy  heart  upon  temporal  things,  which  are  still  more  uncertain  and 
perishable  than  myself. 

But  at  present,  through  the  grace  of  God,  my  eyes  are  opened  ;  I 
perceive  a  Being  which  has  raised  me  up  out  of  nothing,  which  has 
given  me  a  soul  whose  desires  cannot  rest  short  of  eternity — a  Being 
in  whom  every  perfection  and  virtue  are  united,  and  to  whom  I  will 
consecrate  my  heart,  and  devote  myself  for  ever  without  reserve,  and 
from  whom  I  will  ever  receive  all  my  consolation  and  delight.  I  will 
exchange  those  earthly  enjoyments,  which  I  have  hitherto  preferred 
to  the  blessings  of  Heaven,  for  advantages  incomparably  more  real 
and  permanently  substantial.  And  though  I  still  continue  to  make 
a  proper  use  of  the  good  things  of  this  life,  they  shall  never  make  me 
forget  the  love  of  God  ;  but  whilst  I  use  them,  and  whilst  I  feel  my- 
self benefited  by  their  good  effects,  when  not  abused,  they  shall  serve 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


71 


e.s  a  constant  memorial  of  the  goodness  of  God,  and  call  forth  my 
acknowledgments  and  grateful  sense  of  his  kind  care  and  solicitude 
for  my  welfare.  Whenever  I  partake  of  any  outward  good,  I  will 
say  to  myself,  if  I  find  so  much  sweetness  in  the  enjoyment  of  earthly 
things,  and  being  only  acquainted  with  a  very  small  part  of  the  works 
of  God,  that  knowledge  is  so  delightful,  how^  happy  and  glorious  will 
be  my  state  when  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  Heaven,  and  fa- 
voured with  a  portion  of  the  purity  and  perfection  of  God  !  How 
great  is  the  felicity  of  the  saints,  who  see  him  as  he  is,  and  live  in 
the  constant  participation  of  his  divine  communion. 

If  those  pleasures  wiiich  can  only  be  enjoyed  through  the  medium 
of  a  frail  and  perishing  body  have  the  power  of  so  agreeably  affect- 
ing my  mind,  what  must  be  its  deUght  and  ecstacy  when,  divested  of 
all  its  fetters  and  impediments,  it  has  winged  its  flight  to  the  regions 
of  bliss,  and  uninterruptedly  enjoys  the  pleasure  arising  from  its  own 
workings ;  never  wearied  with  thinking,  nor  injured  by  incessant 
action  ;  but  ever  employed  upon  the  sublimest  images  in  the  presence 
of  the  immortal  God  !  If  the  gentle  rivulets  that  so  beautifully  irri- 
gate the  earth  are  so  pleasing,  if  a  ray  of  light  is  so  vivifying,  how 
admirable  must  be  the  great  Source  and  First  Cause  of  the  torrent  of 
the  rivers,  the  Living  Fountain  of  all  joy  and  excellence  !  how  glori- 
ously pre-eminent  the  Author  of  the  blessed  sun,  the  rays  of  which 
only  have  such  great  power  ! 

From  w^hat  w^e  already  know  of  God  through  his  w^orks,  Ave  may 
form  some  anticipation  of  the  glory  of  futurity,  and  prepare  with  joy 
and  with  gladness  for  the  happy  moment,  when  the  soul,  released 
from  its  present  dark  and  inferior  abode,  shall  ascend  into  the  heavens, 
and  enjoy  that  purity  and  exaltation,  the  reward  of  those  who,  by  the 
proper  use  they  have  made  of  their  time  here,  are  permitted  to  join 
the  heavenly  choir  of  angels  in  songs  of  ecstacy  round  the  throne  of 
the  everlasting  God. 


FEBRUARY  XXIII. 

CAUSES  OF  THE   VICISSITUDES  OF  HEAT  AND  COLD. 

What  occasions  the  transition  from  extreme  heat  to  intense  cold  1 
By  what  means  does  nature  effect  these  vicissitudes  1  It  is  certain 
that  in  winter  the  state  of  temperature  principally  depends  upon  the 
sun  ;  for  when  our  globe  in  its  annual  course  round  that  luminary  is 
so  situated  that  its  northern  hemisphere  is  turned  away  from  the  sun, 
when  the  rays  fall  obliquely  upon  the  earth's  surface,  and  when  the 
sun  remains  only  a  few  hours  above  our  horizon,  it  is  impossible  that 
its  rays  can  be  so  powerful  as  when  they  fall  more  perpendicularly. 
But  the  heat  does  not  entirely  depend  upon  the  distance  and  situation 
of  the  sun,  which  annually  passes  through  the  same  constellations, 
and  is  not  more  distant  in  one  winter  than  in  another,  yet  the  degree 


72 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


of  cold  varies  very  much  in  different  winters.  Sometimes  a  great 
part  of  the  winter  is  as  mild  as  autumn,  whilst  in  another  the  deepest 
rivers  are  frozen,  and  men  and  animals  are  scarcely  preserved  from 
the  effects  of  the  cold.  Even  in  those  countries  where  the  days  and 
nights,  during  most  part  of  the  year,  are  of  an  equal  length,  the  heat 
of  the  sun  is  too  feeble  to  melt  the  ice  and  the  snow  on  the  summit 
of  the  mountains.  On  their  heights  reigns  an  eternal  winter,  w^hilst 
at  their  base  verdure  flourishes  and  summer  smiles ;  yet  the  rays  of 
the  sun  fall  upon  their  ridge  as  well  as  in  the  valleys.  From  these 
circumstances  it  would  seem  as  if  the  sun  was  not  the  only  cause  of 
heat,  otherwise  these  phenomena  \vould  be  inexplicable. 

Nature  is  rich  in  resources,  and  a  thousand  causes  of  which  we  are 
ignorant  may  assist  her  operations.  We  know  that  the  winds  and 
the  atmosphere  have  a  great  influence  upon  the  heat  and  cold  of  a 
country.  Hence  it  sometimes  happens,  that  in  the  midst  of  summer, 
when  the  atmosphere  is  charged  with  vapours,  the  heavens  are  ob- 
scured by  thick  clouds,  and  the  north  wind  blows,  that  great  cold  is 
felt ;  and,  on  the  contrary  iri  winter,  when  the  wind  is  from  the  south, 
the  temperature  is  often  much  milder.  The  peculiar  nature  of  the 
soil  may  have  some  effect ;  and  the  winds  blowing  over  the  ocean 
acquire  a  higher  temperature,  which  they  impart  to  the  earth  as  they 
sweep  over  its  surface. 

These  causes,  and,  perhaps,  many  others  we  do  not  yet  know, 
influence  the  temperature  of  the  air,  and  produce  the  sudden  alterna- 
tions of  heat  and  cold.  In  most  of  our  investigations  of  nature  we 
are  obliged  to  stop  short  of  the  truth  ;  and  the  most  able  philosophers 
have  not  been  ashamed  to  confess  how  little  the}^  knew  of  her  laws. 
We  can  comprehend  but  a  very  small  part  of  her  operations,  and  no 
doubt  it  is  from  the  wisest  reasons  the  Creator  has  concealed  from 
our  penetration  the  causes  of  so  many  effects  which  we  view  with 
wonder  throughout  the  kingdom  of  Nature  ;  but  we  know  enough  of 
them  to  be  happy,  v/ise,  and  content  :  let  us  endeavour  to  use,  with 
propriety,  the  little  knowledge  we  are  permitted  to  acquire,  and  con- 
vert it  to  the  advantage  of  our  fellow-creatures,  and  the  glory  of  God ; 
for  surely  he  did  not  give  us  our  faculties  to  be  buried  in  sloth  and 
indolence,  nor  to  be  employed  in  trifling  pursuits,  or  to  become  obli- 
terated or  perverted  for  want  of  cultivation  and  exertion. 


FEBRUARY  XXIV. 

SINGULARITIES  IN  THE  MINERAL  KINGDOM. 

From  the  limited  nature  of  our  understanding,  it  would  be  diflicult, 
if  not  impossible,  for  us  to  comprehend,  at  once,  the  whole  kingdom 
of  nature,  and  to  know  and  distinguish  all  the  properties  and  qualities 
of  her  productions.  We  shall  be  facilitated  in  our  search,  and  assisted 
in  our  inquiry,  into  nature,  if  we  begin  by  the  consideration  of  some 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


73 


simple  and  detached  objects,  whose  beauties  will  engage  our  attention, 
and  whose  peculiar  phenomena  will  solicit  our  regard.  At  present, 
then,  I  shall  consider  some  curiosities  met  with  in  the  mineral  king- 
dom, amongst  which  none  are  more  remarkable  than  the  magnet. 
When  suspended,  one  of  its  extremities  points  to  the  north,  the  other 
to  the  south  ;  these  are  called  its  poles,  and  they  seem  to  contain  the 
magnetic  principle  in  greater  abundance  than  the  other  parts.  It 
does  not  appear  to  attract  any  other  substance  than  iron,  or  the  ores  of 
iron :  if  you  place  the  north  pole  of  one  magnet  opposite  the  south 
pole  of  another,  they  will  be  mutually  attracted  ;  but  if  their  similar 
poles,  whether  the  two  north  or  the  two  south  poles,  are  placed  to- 
gether, they  repel  each  other.* 

Mercury  offers  to  our  consideration  properties  equally  remarkable,  and 
more  useful.  It  is  distinguished  from  all  other  metals  by  its  fluidity, 
but  it  becomes  solid  when  exposed  to  a  suflicient  degree  of  cold.  In 
a  heat  of  600°  it  boils,  and  may  be  totally  evaporated  ;  exposed  to  the 
air  and  agitated,  it  attracts  a  portion  of  oxygen,  and  is  converted  into 
a  powder  called  oxide,  which  is  black,  yellow,  and  red,  according  as 
the  oxygen  is  in  greater  or  less  proportion.  By  the  application  of 
heat  the  oxygen  may  be  extricated  from  the  oxide,  and  the  mercury 
again  assume  its  original  form. 

Gold  is  the  most  precious  and  valuable  of  all  metals,  not  only  by 
its  scarcity,  but  from  its  admirable  properties.  No  other  substance 
equals  it  in  ductility  and  malleability.  It  may  be  beaten  out  into 
leaves  so  thin  that  one  single  grain  of  solid  gold  may  be  made  to  cover 
56  3-4  square  inches,  the  leaf  being  only  ^  part  of  an  inch  thick ; 
and  an  ounce  of  gold  upon  a  silver  wire  is  capable  of  being  extended 
1300  miles  in  length.    It  requires  a  very  strong  heat  to  melt  it. 

The  curious  crystals  of  salt ;  the  peculiar  brilliancy  of  some  stones  ; 
the  great  variety  of  metals  ;  petrified  bodies  found  sometimes  in  the 
highest  mountains  ;  and  a  thousand  more  wonders  contained  in  the 
mineral  kingdom,  are  well  calculated  to  awaken  our  curiosity  and  to 
excite  our  astonishment  No  pursuit  is  more  gratifying  and  delight- 
ful, or  more  diversified,  than  the  attentive  contemplation  of  nature. 
Though  we  were  to  live  for  ages  upon  the  earth,  and  emplo)^ed  every 
day  and  every  hour  in  studying  and  investigating  the  phenomena  and 
peculiarities  of  the  mineral  kingdom  only,  there  would  still  remain  a 
thousand  things  w^hich  we  could  not  explain,  but  which,  concealed 
from  our  penetration,  would  still  more  and  more  excite  our  curiosity. 
Let  us  then  lose  no  time  in  entering  such  a  wide  field  of  discovery ; 

*  The  magnet  does  not  appear  to  be  a  stone,  as  the  author  has  represented,  but  iron 
only,  or  iron  contained  in  stone,  modified  in  such  a  manner  as  to  admit  the  passage  of 
the  magnetic  fluid ;  of  which  httle  is  known,  though  some  suppose  it  to  be  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  electric  power ;  to  support  which  they  assert,  that  iron  long  placed  in  an 
elevated  position  becomes  magnetic;  that  instruments  of  iron  struck  with  lightning  are 
sometimes  magnetised,  and  that  two  pieces  of  iron  may  be  magnetised  by  rubbing  them 
against  each  other  in  the  same  direction.  But  supposmg  it  was  the  electric  fluid  under- 
going a  peculiar  change  in  the  iron,  we  are  still  no  nearer  the  moon ;  for  we  are  equally 
in  the  dark  respecting  the  nature  of  an  electric  as  of  a  magnetic  fluid.  It  is  their  effects 
only  with  which  we  are  acquainted. — E. 

7  K 


74 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


let  us  employ  a  part  of  the  time  we  can  spare  from  our  indispensable 
duties  and  avocations  in  observing  nature,  by  which  our  mind  will 
become  improved,  our  knowledge  increased,  and  we  shall  be  rewarded 
with  a  very  innocent  and  durable  pleasure.  The  more  we  meditate 
upon  the  designs  of  God  in  his  works,  the  more  will  our  satisfaction 
increase,  inasmuch  as  the  objects  of  nature  are  infinitely  more  sublime 
and  wonderful  than  the  choicest  productions  of  human  genius. 


FEBRUARY  XXV. 
god's  love  for  man  daily  manifested. 

To  enumerate  all  the  blessings  which  the  mercy  of  God  has  be- 
stowed upon  us  from  the  first  moment  of  our  existence  to  the  present 
period,  would  be  as  impossible  as  to  stand  upon  an  eminence  and 
count  the  stars  of  heaven.  How  many  benefits  have  we  received  in 
our  infancy,  which  are  now  entirely  forgotten  !  From  how  many 
dangers,  open  or  concealed,  have  we  been  delivered !  From  how 
many  impending  evils  have  we  escaped ;  and  how  often  has  God 
provided  for  our  wants,  and  confounded  the  incredulity  of  those  who 
regarded  assistance  as  hopeless  !  Each  day  of  our  lives  add  to  the 
sum  of  the  favours  we  received.  Each  time  that  the]  sun  illumines 
the  eastern  horizon,  and  that  his  departing  beams  leave  a  radiance  of 
glory  in  the  west,  the  goodness  of  God  is  manifested.  And  what 
greater  and  more  striking  proofs  can  we  have  of  his  Divine  love,  than 
our  being  redeemed  through  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ !  that  we 
have  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  truth  to  point  out  those  certain  rules,  which 
lead  to  life  and  to  happiness  !  and  that  from  our  earliest  infancy  we 
are  permitted  to  imbibe  the  pure  principles  of  Christianity,  safe  from 
the  machinations  of  bigotry  and  the  terrors  of  persecution  ! 

From  these  considerations  it  will  appear  to  be  wholly  impossible  to 
number  the  blessings  we  receive  from  God.  Let  us  confine  ourselves 
to  a  single  day,  and  endeavour  to  compute  the  mercies  we  receive  in 
that  short  space :  light,  air,  food,  strength,  a  habitation,  and  friends, 
amusements  and  pleasures,  and  the  renewed  powers  and  activity  of 
the  mind,  with  a  thousand  others  each  individual  may  enumerate.* 
May  our  minds  be  impressed,  and  our  hearts  softened,  by  these  daily 
instances  of  God's  love ;  and  by  frequently  meditating  upon  them, 
may  our  gratitude  be  elicited,  and  our  virtue  strengthened  and  im- 
proved !  The  more  we  employ  ourselves  in  such  reflections,  the  more 
we  shall  be  disposed  to  reverence  the  power  of  the  Almighty,  and  be 
delighted  in  celebrating  his  praise. 

*  The  author  calculates  that  'we  receive  from  God  12  blessings  every  minute  relative 
to  respiration  ;  30  relative  to  our  understanding  and  will ;  and  6000  relative  to  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  our  bodies :  consequently  God  grants  us,  each  minute,  6042  blessings, 
and  362,520  every  hour  of  life.' 


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76 


FEBRUARY  XX\  I. 

TRANQUILLITY  OF  THE  NIGHT. 

The  care  of  Providence  to  secure  our  repose  during  the  absence  of 
day,  claims  the  utmost  gratitude  and  admiration.  When  night 
spreads  her  sable  mantle  over  the  earth,  a  universal  stillness  reigns, 
and  announces  to  all  creatures  a  cessation  from  their  toils,  and  invites 
them  to  soft  repose.  To  aid  this  general  calm,  nature  suspends  the 
action  of  those  things  which,  by  their  vivid  impression,  would  inter- 
rupt its  duration.  Animals,  whose  restless  activity  might  disturb  our 
sleep,  have  themselves  need  of  repose  ;  the  birds  retire  to  their  nests, 
and  the  domestic  animals  sleep  around  us. 

But  this  dead  calm  is  not  alike  agreeable  to  all ;  for  many  who, 
from  pain,  sickness,  and  various  causes,  pass  their  nights  in  dreary 
watchfulness,  oppressed  with  care,  no  sooner  lie  down,  than,  preyed 
upon  by  distracting  thoughts,  their  sufferings  and  their  troubles  seem 
to  augment  in  proportion  as  every  thing  is  tranquil  around  them : 
they  count  the  hours  as  they  slowl}^  pass,  and  the  time  drags  heavily 
till  the  first  streaks  of  morning  break,  and  the  cheering  rays  of  the 
sun  restore  to  them  the  presence  of  pleasurable  objects,  and  the  inter- 
course of  their  friends.  The  number  of  these  victims  of  disease  and 
mental  distraction  are  few  compared  with  the  great  mass  of  mankind, 
whom  health  of  body,  ensured  by  temperance,  and  peace  of  soul, 
obtained  by  good  works,  always  procme  sweet  and  uninterrupted 
slumbers.  After  the  fatigues  of  the  day,  we  hail  the  approach  of 
evening  with  pleasure  ;  and  as  the  gloom  thickens,  and  spreads  a 
deeper  shade,  we  feel  the  influence  of  sleep  gradually  diffused  over 
our  frame,  and  stretched  along  at  ease  on  the  downy  couch,  soon  con- 
fess its  grateful  power.  But  how  often  does  man  break  in  upon  the 
midnight  hour,  and  disturb  the  general  calm  of  nature  !  The  tumul- 
tuous uproar  of  the  drunkard,  and  the  w41d  levity  of  the  libertine, 
often  trouble  the  repose  of  the  peaceable,  and  interrupt  their  slumbers. 
Can  these  thoughtless  beings  ever  reflect  upon  their  general  distui  b- 
ance  of  the  peace,  or  have  any  respect  for  the  ordinances  of  God  ! 
At  the  very  hour  of  their  heedless  noise,  and  riotous  mirth,  they  are, 
perhaps,  rendering  more  distracted  the  last  moments  of  some  poor 
helpless  creature  that  imagines  a  short  repose  might  ease  her  agony, 
or  they  break  the  slight  repose  of  some  unfortunate  person  who  has 
long  solicited  it  in  vain.  '  How  happy  are  the  true  believers,  who 
have  passed  through  the  sleep  of  death  to  their  God  !  They  are  re- 
leased from  all  the  miseries  and  vexations  of  a  life  passed  in  continual 
dangers  and  alarms,  and  their  repose  is  no  longer  disturbed  by  num- 
berless pains  and  anxieties  !  Freed  from  all  misery,  their  souls  no  more 
shall  be  oppressed  by  grief,  nor  their  joy  be  exchanged  for  sorrow  and 
bitterness  ;  but  blessed  in  the  Lord,  their  peace  shall  be  perfect/ 


76 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


FEBRUARY  XXVII. 

WINTER  IS  AN  EMBLEM  OF  LIFE. 

During"  the  winter  days  we  experience  a  continued  succession  of 
vicissitudes ;  flakes  of  snow,  showers  of  rain,  clouds  and  sunshine, 
storms  and  cahns,  quickly  follow  each  other.  Scarcely  has  the  snow 
enveloped  nature  in  its  pure  veil,  when  it  vanishes  from  our  view  ; 
and  scarcely  does  the  sun  reveal  his  splendour,  when  he  becomes  ob- 
scured by  the  dark  clouds.  So  in  the  moral  world  we  witness  as 
frequent  variations.  If,  during  winter,  many  days  are  dark,  gloomy, 
and  dull,  so  also  are  many  of  the  scenes  of  life ;  and  as  storms  and 
darkness  are  necessary  and  conformable  to  the  wise  laws  of  nature, 
so  also  adversity  will  strengthen  the  mind,  and  render  better  the  heart 
of  man. 

Who  can  prevent  the  day  from  being  darkened  by  clouds,  or  our 
happiness  from  being  the  sport  of  contingencies,  and  at  the  mercy  of 
other  men  1  It  is  as  impossible  for  our  souls  to  enjoy  an  uninterrupted 
calm,  as  for  the  face  of  the  heavens  to  be  continually  smooth  and 
serene  ;  and  as  impossible  for  our  frame  to  be  free  from  pains  and  ac- 
cidents, as  for  the  air  to  remain  always  destitute  of  clouds.  Passions 
which  often  produce  good  effects  will,  hkewise,  sometimes  occasion 
the  most  fatal  consequences,  and  may  be  justly  compared  to  the 
storms  and  tempests  which  perturb  the  face  of  nature.  And  as  the 
winter  is  a  source  of  fertility  to  the  earth,  so  the  afflictions  and  hard 
treatment  we  sometimes  experience  may  be  a  means  of  increasing 
our  wisdom  and  our  virtue.  Darkness  teaches  us  how  to  esteem  and 
value  the  presence  of  light,  the  continued  brightness  of  which  would 
dazzle  and  fatigue  our  sight ;  and  a  fine  serene  day  never  gives  us 
more  pleasure  than  when  it  is  preceded  by  gloomy  and  tempestuous 
weather.  Neither  should  we  be  so  sensible  of  the  blessings  of  health, 
if  we  had  not  learned  its  value  by  painful  experience. 

We  are  in  general  too  apt  to  exaggerate  our  evils,  and  magnify  our 
sufferings ;  the  events  of  the  w^orld,  and  the  accidents  of  life,  are 
rarely  so  lamentable,  as  in  the  gloominess  of  our  thoughts,  and  the 
ardency  of  our  imagination,  we  represent  them.  We  are  so  blinded 
by  pride,  self-love,  and  affectation,  that  we  consider  every  little  evil 
that  befalls  us  as  of  the  first  consequence  ;  whilst  we  never  think  of 
the  many  advantages  and  comforts  with  which  we  are  favoured,  and 
w^hich  far  exceed  the  trifling  inconveniences  we  may  suffer.  Even 
what  we  regard  as  the  greatest  evils  may  be  converted  to  our  ultimate 
gain,  if  we  conform  ourselves  to  the  views  of  Divine  Wisdom.  Do 
we  not  see  the  snow,  the  tempests,  the  winds,  and  the  frost,  and  all 
the  changes  of  the  season,  are  the  means  which  God  uses  to  grant  us 
new  favours  !  When  the  sky  has  long  been  lowering,  and  the  clouds 
gathered  thick,  when  the  storm  and  the  tempest  have  threatened, 
how  soon  has  light  been  restored  to  the  heavens,  and  joy  and  gladness 
again  smiled  on  the  earth !   The  heavier  the  showers  are,  the  sooner 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


77 


the  clouds  are  drained  ;  the  more  intense  the  darkness,  the  greater 
is  the  pleasure  when  the  sun  restores  the  day.  Adversity  only  fills 
up  a  part  of  our  life,  and  often  when  the  storm  threatens  to  break 
over  our  heads  we  are  going  to  be  relieved  from  our  trouble. 

Let  us,  therefore,  bow  without  murmuring,  to  the  dispensations  of 
Providence,  and  cheerfully  submit  to  the  evils  we  cannot  avoid  :  if  it 
please  the  Almighty  Disposer  of  events,  that  our  path  through  life 
shall  be  dark,  with  few  rays  of  comfort  and  of  happiness  to  cheer  us 
on  our  gloomy  way,  let  us  not  repine  ;  but  steadily  hold  on  our  course, 
unmoved  by  the  laugh,  the  scorn,  and  the  censure  of  the  world,  as 
the  rock  rears  its  head  above  the  waves,  and  remains  regardless  of 
their  idle  foaming,  whilst  the  storm  rages  around. 


FEBRUARY  XXVIIl. 

THE  UTILITY  OF  MOUNTAINS. 

Would  it  be  more  advantageous  to  our  globe  if  the  surface  were 
more  even,  and  not  subject  to  so  many  inequahties  ?  If  the  super- 
ficies of  the  earth  had  been  smoother,  so  as  to  form  one  vast  extended 
plain,  might  not  our  sight  have  reached  farther,  and  our  travelling 
from  place  to  place  been  more  facilitated,  besides  many  other  advan- 
tages which  we  should  have  experienced  1  These  are  important 
questions,  and  deserve  our  serious  consideration  :  let  us  now,  there- 
fore, see  whether  we  have  any  cause  to  be  discontented  with  the  pre- 
sent arrangement  of  our  globe. 

From  mountains  and  hills  flow  innumerable  springs,  which  uniting, 
form  Vast  lakes  and  rivers.  Those  immense  chains  of  mountains 
which  extend  from  east  to  west,  traversing  a  great  extent  of  country, 
are  supposed  to  condense  into  water  the  moist  exhalations  from  the 
earth,  and  thus  prevent  their  being  dissipated  :  from  the  summits  of 
the  mountains  there  is  thus  a  perpetual  supply  of  streams,  which 
descend  to  irrigate  and  fertilize  the  valleys  below. 

Besides  their  being  the  source  of  fountains  and  rivulets,  they  are 
also  of  great  use  in  being  the  abode  and  shelter  of  many  animals 
which  are  of  great  advantage  and  service  to  man.  They  supply, 
without  its  costing  us  any  labour,  food  and  support  to  many  animals, 
which  we  esteem  both  for  their  flesh  and  their  skins.  Upon  the  sides 
of  mountains  grow  and  flourish  trees,  plants,  and  a  variety  of  herbs 
and  salutary  roots,  which  cannot  be  so  well  cultivated  in  the  plains. 
Within  their  bosom,  also,  are  contained  various  metals  and  minerals; 
and  mountains  are  highly  useful  in  sheltering  us  from  the  cold  pierc- 
ing blasts  of  the  north  and  east  winds  ;  and  to  many  countries  they 
are  more  effectual  and  durable  barriers  against  the  inroads  of  hostile 
nations  than  the  strongest  ramparts  and  most  powerful  engines  of 
war ;  and  they  are,  at  the  same  time,  the  most  sure  bulwarks  against 


78 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  ravages  of  the  sea,  llie  hiundalion  of  floods,  and  the  devastation 
of  the  winds. 

They  form  the  most  grand  and  striking  objects  of  nature;  for  who 
can  contemplate  the  Alps,  the  Cordeliers,  and  the  Andes,  without 
feeling  emotions  of  sublimity  ]  or  view,  without  astonishment  and* 
rapture,  Plinlimmon  and  Benlomond,  whose  summits  are  lost  in  the 
clouds  ]  It  is  true  that  some  mountains,  such  as  ^Etna  and  Vesuvius, 
are  terrible  from  their  explosions,  and  dreadful  from  the  materials 
they  contain  ;  causing  horrible  shakings  of  the  earth,  and  hurling 
fire  and  destruction  far  around.  But  as  we  have  reason  to  believe 
this  partial  evil  is  for  the  general  good  and  advantage  of  man,  we 
have  no  cause  to  complain  of  this  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  earth. 

Mountams,  then,  we  find,  are  essential  to  the  due  preservation  of 
the  earth  ;  procure  us  numberless  advantages ;  and  display,  equally 
with  the  rest  of  the  creation,  the  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness  of 
God.  On  the  heights,  as  well  as  in  the  depths  :  on  the  mountains, 
and  in  the  valleys  ;  above  the  earth,  as  well  as  beneath  it ;  the  Lord 
manifests  himself  the  benefactor  of  his  creatures,  and  gives  occasion 
to  bless  and  celebrate  his  name  for  ever  and  ever. 


MARCH  L 

POWERS   OF   THE  MIND   ENLARGED  BY  CONTEMPLATING  GOD  IN  THE 
WORKS  OF  NATURE. 

Let  those  who  wish  to  worship  the  God  that  made  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,  go  forth  and  view  his  works,  and  see,  and  acknowledge  with 
gratitude,  the  wonders  he  has  wrought.  Of  all  the  species  of  know- 
ledge we  can  acquire,  none  is  more  important,  more  agreeable,  or 
more  interesting,  than  that  we  gain  from  studying  the  works  of  na- 
ture ;  and,  properly  to  answer  the  great  end  for  which  we  were  cre- 
ated, it  is  essential  to  become  acquainted  with  the  Divinity  by  con- 
sidering his  works  :  it  will  ensure  us  present  as  well  as  future  felicity. 
It  is  certainly  right  to  seek  for  a  knowledge  of  God,  as  revealed  in  his 
-divine  word  :  but  we  shall  scarcely  embrace,  with  full  conviction  of 
heart,  such  a  revelation,  if  we  do  not  join  to  it  that  other  revelation 
by  which  he  is  manifested  to  us  in  nature  as  the  Creator  of  all  things, 
and  as  the  common  Father,  Lord,  and  Benefactor  of  the  creation. 
And  we  find  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  when  open- 
ing to  his  disciples  the  great  truths  of  religion,  often  made  mention  of 
the  works  of  nature,  and  conducted  his  hearers  from  a  consideration 
of  the  subjects  which  the  moral  and  physical  world  present,  to  the 
meditation  of  things  spiritual  and  heavenly. 

The  frequent  study  of  the  great  volume  of  nature  is  sufficiently 
noble,  and  worthy  the  attention  of  man  !  By  it  we  learn  those  truths 
which  declare  to  us  the  immense  grandeur  and  glorious  attributes  of 
God  ;  we  are  taught  to  know,  and  properly  estimate,  our  own  limited 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


79 


powers  and  faculties,  and  become  better  acquainted  with  the  obHga- 
tions  we  owe  for  the  blessings  we  receive.  Those  who  despise  this 
study,  and  think  it  beneath  their  notice,  only  draw  down  upon  them- 
selves shame  and  disgrace,  and  deserve  the  compassion  of  their  fellow- 
creatures.  The  advantages  of  reason  are  never  more  felt  than  when 
our  faculties  are  employed  in  meditating  upon  the  perfection  of  God 
displayed  in  his  works  :  never  does  the  mind  so  expand,  and  the  ima- 
gination take  such  bold  fliglits,  as  when,  ranging  abroad  through 
nature,  we  view  her  works,  whether  the  constellations  and  the  lumi- 
naries of  the  heavens  ;  the  hills,  and  the  distant  mountains  ;  the  wide 
extended  valleys,  the  groves,  and  the  meandering  streams;  or  listen- 
ing to  the  sighing  of  the  wind,  or  the  hoarser  cadence  of  the  sw^elling 
wave,  now  foaming  beneath  the  hoar  cliff,  or  vainly  breaking  against 
the  rock,  whose  dusky  top  sullenly  peers  above  the  spray ;  and,  glow- 
ing with  rapture,  our  soul  then  feels  there  is  something  more  than  all 
this ;  sensations  arise  too  sublime  for  utterance,  and  we  are  immedi- 
ately brought  as  into  the  presence  of  God  :  all  meaner  things,  in  those 
glorious  moments  of  true  delight,  find  no  place  in  our  bosom,  which 
is  filled  with  ecstacy  and  inexpressible  felicity.  These  joys  are  not 
like  the  pleasures  of  the  world,  fleeting  and  transitory,  but  they  are 
ever  fresh  and  ever  young  ;  they  never  disgust  with  satiety,  nor 
weary  with  reiteration  :  and  when  retired  to  our  habitations,  the  mind 
formed  for  greatness,  instead  of  being  occupied  with  the  trifles  and 
frivolities  of  the  day,  looks  back  with  fond  delight  upon  the  past 
scenes,  which  the  imagination  depicts  in  the  purest  and  iTiost  glowing 
colours  ;  and,  safe  from  the  dangers  of  his  voyage,  the  traveller  re- 
members the  objects  which  once  forcibly  arrested  his  attention. 

We  cannot  long  be  in  the  habit  of  thus  exercising  our  faculties 
without  their  being  much  benefited  and  improved :  whatever  calls 
forth  the  powers  of  the  mind  tends  to  elevate  and  enlarge  its  capa- 
city :  and  nothing  contributes  more  to  this  noble  purpose  than  the 
study  of  nature  and  of  God :  from  our  imagination  we  receive  our 
greatest  pleasures,  and  it  never  takes  higher  nor  more  brilliant  flights 
than  when  ranging  through  nature  ;  but  we  have  reason  to  believe, 
power  we  are  permitted  to  enjoy  of  obtaining  a  degree  of 
pure  happiness  here,  is  not  to  be  armihilated  or  lessened  when  the  soul 
is  released  from  those  incumbrances  which  now  so  much  shackle  and 
retard  her  advancement  in  wisdom  and  in  perfection ;  but  that  this 
kind  of  pleasure  and  true  enjoyment  will  be  continued  in  a  future 
state ;  and  he  who  has  most  cultivated  the  faculties  of  his  mind  and 
cherished  the  virtues  of  his  heart  will  have  these  faculties  increased 
according  to  his  desert  in  the  world  to  come,  where  we  are  told  in  the 
language  of  Scripture,  saints  and  angels  of  hght  continually  rejoice 
in  the  presence  of  God,  and  are  never  weary  with  contemplating  his 
glory  and  hymning  his  praises.  And  such  even  in  this  world  is  the 
reward  of  those  who  are  continually  reflecting  upon  the  Almighty 
Power,  as  manifested  in  his  works. 


80 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MARCH  II. 

UNPLEASANT  WEATHER. 

Nature  is  still  drooping ;  deprived  of  her  beauties,  her  aspect  seems 
wild  and  dreary ;  the  sky  is  obscured  with  clouds,  and  the  atmos- 
phere loaded  with  vapours.  A  thick  fog  conceals  the  morning  sun 
from  our  view,  and  prevents  our  receiving  his  salutary  influence  ; 
his  warmth  is  feeble,  and  scarce  a  solitary  herb  peeps  above  the 
ground ;  all  is  dull,  lifeless,  and  without  charms.  Some  will  be 
ready  to  exclaim.  When  will  the  lovely  spring  appear  :  When  will 
those  happy  days  arrive  when  the  first  flowers  shall  invite  us  forth 
into  the  fields  and  the  gardens'?  But  let  us  remember  that  before  these 
pleasing  eflfects  can  take  place,  such  a  state  as  we  now  experience 
must  occur.  Such  is  the  plan  of  nature,  that  without  these  days, 
which  we  think  so  disagreeable,  all  our  hopes  of  summer  must 
vanish.  Storms  and  tempests  are  beneficial,  and  frosts  ultimately 
tend  to  fertilize  the  earth.  If  the  air  was  now  mild  and  more  tem- 
perate, millions  of  insects  would  be  generated,  to  the  great  injury  of 
the  seed  which  is  sown,  and  the  plants  ready  to  bud.  And  if  the 
weather  should  now  be  mild,  and  blossoms  be  put  forth,  how  they 
would  suffer  should  a  frost  return  to  nip  the  tender  shoots  ! 

Yet  such  is  our  blind  obstinacy,  that  we  murmur  against  God  when 
we  ought  to  adore  and  to  bless  him ;  and  we  set  down  for  imperfect 
what  should  make  us  acknowledge  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  the 
Creator.  In  short,  we  know  not  what  we  ask,  nor  what  we  desire  ; 
and  it  would  be  a  sufficient  punishment  if  all  our  prayers  were  to  be 
granted.  It  is  for  the  wisest  purposes  that  the  approaches  of  spring 
are  gradual.  The  frequent  rough  and  boisterous  weather  of  March 
is  generally  the  last  remains  of  winter,  prepares  us  for  the  enjoyment 
of  finer  days,  and  is  the  forerunner  of  the  delightful  verdure  which 
the  spring  spreads  over  our  fields.  Therefore,  O  my  God,  will  I  con- 
tinue to  exalt  and  to  bless  thee.  In  these  stormy  days  I  will  be  more 
and  more  convinced  that  thy  government  is  wise,  and  thy  arrange- 
ments of  nature  just  and  beneficial ;  and  that  in  all  times  and  in  all 
seasons,  in  storms,  and  in  calms,  in  the  rain  and  in  the  snow,  equally 
as  in  the  finest  weather,  thou  art  still  my  Father,  Preserver^  and 
Benefactor. 

MARCH  III. 

STATE  OF  CERTAIN  BIRDS  AND  ANIMALS  DURING  THE  WINTER. 

At  present  we  do  not  see  any  of  those  insects  and  birds  which,  dur- 
ing the  summer,  float  by  millions  in  the  air  and  in  the  water,  or  rest 
upon  the  earth  and  among  the  groves.    Of  the  birds,  some  species  at 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


81 


the  approach  of  winter  disappear,  and  retire  to  climes  of  a  higher 
temperature,  where  they  can  find  shelter  and  nourishment.  The  first 
stormy  day  is  the  signal  for  departure  ;  when,  quitting  their  abodes, 
they  assemble,  and  prepare  to  wing  their  flight  to  far  distant  countries. 
Nor  do  those  that  remain  behind  perish  ;  they  continue  through  the 
rigours  of  the  season.  The  bodies  of  some  animals  are  so  formed, 
that  the  same  causes  which  deprive  them  of  their  food  occasion  such 
a  change  in  their  system,  that  they  do  not  require  any  aliment ;  the 
cold  affects  them  to  such  a  degree  that  they  become  torpid,  and  seem 
as  if  wrapped  in  the  profoundest  sleep,  which  continues  till  returning 
warmth  opens  the  earth,  and  it  again  brings  forth  fruits  ;  when  they 
awaken  from  their  slumbers,  and,  as  the  spring  advances,  leave  their 
retreats  in  the  sands,  in  holes  of  the  earth,  the  hollow  trunks  of 
trees,  marshes,  and  various  other  places  that  have  sheltered  and  pro- 
tected them  in  their  death-like  state  during  the  winter. 

How  admirable  is  the  wisdom  of  God,  whose  tender  cares  extend 
to  the  least  of  his  creatures  !  He  has  endowed  each  of  them  with  an 
astonishing  instinct,  which  enables  them  to  continue  and  to  preserve 
their  existence ;  teaches  them  the  day  when  they  are  to  abandon 
their  summer  abodes,  and  pass  the  time  of  our  winter  in  more  genial 
climes;  and  directs  them  in  their  dangerous  flights.  To  others  it 
points  oat  the  places  where  they  may  pass  their  time  of  torpescence  in 
safety ;  and  when  the  warm  beams  of  the  sun  descend  with  suflScient 
force,  they  come  forth  unhurt. 

Each  time  that  I  reflect  upon  these  changes,  I  am  induced  to  think 
of  what  will  happen  to  myself  at  the  hour  of  death  ;  when  in  that 
isolemn  moment  I  shall  leave  my  habitation,  my  dearest  friends,  and 
all  my  pleasures,  to  pass  into  another  state  of  existence.  The 
changes  that  these  animals  undergo  offer  me  another  edifying  reflec- 
tion. I  see  how  God  watches  over  the  smallest  link  in  the  vast 
catenation  of  beings  ;  I  see  with  w^hat  paternal  care  he  provides  for 
the  support  and  preservation  of  the  weakest  and  most  insignificant 
creatures  :  and  it  would  not  be  inconsistent  with  my  ideas  of  his  wis- 
dom and  bounty  to  imagine  that  he  would  have  less  regard  and 
solicitude  for  my  welfare  and  conservation,  whom  he  had  been  pleased 
to  create  so  much  superior?  Surely  that  God  which  clothes  and 
nourishes  the  insects  and  the  birds,  which  provides  them  with  retreata 
and  places  of  repose  in  the  holes  of  the  earth  and  in  the  clefts  of  rocks, 
and  guides  their  course  to  distant  countries,  will  never  abandon  me 
in  the  time  of  want  and  of  danger,  nor  forsake  me  in  the  hour  of  my 
affliction  and  distress. 


MARCH  IV. 

WINDS  AND  TEMPESTS. 

How  violently  the  air  is  agitated !  Hark,  how  the  wind  whistles 
above,  and  now  swells  in  a  louder  blast  !   See  how  the  dark  clouds 

L 


82 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


gather,  and  then  whirl  along  with  fearful  swiftness  !  The  uplifted 
oaks  strew  the  ground,  which  shakes  as  they  fall ;  and  see  those 
wretched  huts  borne  aloft  by  tlie  blast,  tlieir  scattered  fragments  tos- 
sing in  giddy  eddies  !  The  clouds  open,  and  deluge  the  earth  with 
the  descending  torrent.  Perhaps  at  this  moment  some  luckless  bark 
is  riding  in  the  storm  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  :  above,  the  loud  blast 
roars,  and  all  aroimd  is  darkness  ;  the  waves  now  meet  the  clouds, 
then  roll  back,  and  discover  the  gulf  threatening  instant  destruction. 
The  fear-struck  mariners  have  now  no  hopes ;  they  think  of  their 
far-distant  homes,  and  with  wild  horror  view  the  wave,  in  which,  as 
it  rolls  on  like  a  vast  mountain,  they  read  their  final  doom.  But  why 
does  the  beneficent  Creator  thus  permit  the  winds  to  track  their  course 
over  the  seas  and  the  earth  with  desolation  and  destruction  ?  Mad 
question  !  Who  has  the  temerity  and  the  arrogance  to  dare  to  cen- 
sure and  pronounce  judgment  upon  the  Almighty,  or  to  question  his 
proceedings  ?  Let  us  rather  consider  his  ways  in  silence,  and  feel  per- 
suaded, from  what  we  know  of  him,  that  they  are  always  beneficial. 

Though  the  tempest  and  the  whirlwind  often  speak  in  terror,  and 
shake  the  earth  ;  though  they  cause  devastation,  and  make  the  ships 
on  the  seas  to  be  splintered  against  the  rocks  or  entombed  in  the  deep  ; 
though  houses  are  overthrown,  and  men  and  animals  are  swept  away : 
still  Ave  have  no  right  to  arraign  the  decrees  of  Providence,  which  are 
written  in  wisdom  and  uttered  in  mercy.  These  storms  and  tempests 
are  to  answer  great  and  important  purposes  in  nature.  At  the  return 
of  spring,  a  humid  and  mild  air  softens  the  earth,  which,  during  the 
winter,  had  remained  hardened.  By  this  change  of  temperature  the 
atmosphere  often  becomes  charged  with  noxious  vapours,  and  plagues 
and  contagion  might  destroy  men  and  animals,  if  these  violent  agita- 
tions of  the  air  did  not  render  it  more  pure  and  salubrious. 

Thus  we  find  the  Almighty,  whether  he  visits  us  in  tempests,  or 
smiles  upon  us  in  serenity,  is  alike  the  Father  and  Benefactor  of  the 
creation  ;  and  every  time  we  hear  the  winds  blow  over  our  heads  let 
us  acknowledge  his  goodness,  and  reflect  with  gratitude  on  the  wis- 
dom of  his  government.  Tlie  Lord  taketh  the  winds  from  the  four 
corners  of  Heaven,  and  bringeth  them  from  the  extremities  of  the 
earth ;  he  marketh  out  -the  paths  through  which  they  should  proceed, 
regulates  their  boundaries,  and  bids  them  to  cease  when  they  have 
fulfilled  his  purpose.  Why  then  should  w^e  fear  or  be  troubled  when 
his  messengers  execute  his  commands  ?  Though  the  tempest  should 
howl  around  me,  the  earth  tremble,  the  rocks  be  rent  in  twain,  and 
darkness  obscure  the  face  of  nature,  I  will  not  be  disturbed,  neither 
will  I  be  terrified ;  but  I  will  put  my  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  rest  my 
cares  upon  the  bosom  of  Him  who  rules  and  governs  the  universe, 
who  directeth  the  winds,  and  pointeth  out  to  the  stars  their  course. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


83 


MARCH  V. 

AURORA  BOREALIS. 

Sometimes  in  winter  and  towards  the  vernal  equinox,  we  observe 
in  the  heavens  a  sort  of  transparent,  knninous,  and  diversely  coloured 
clouds.  A  brilliant  light  appears  from  the  north,  which  is  gradually 
communicated  to  the  other  clouds,  till  at  length  rays  of  pale  light 
shoot  from  these  northern  clouds  towards  the  zenith.  This  aerial 
phenomenon,  called  Northern  Lights,  or  Aurora  Borealis,  may  be 
classed  amongst  those  natural  effects  the  true  cause  of  which  we  do 
not  exactly  know.  Some  naturalists  have  supposed  it  to  be  a  mag- 
netic matter,  which,  accumulating  towards  the  north,  becomes  lumi- 
nous. Others  with  greater  probability,  suppose  it  to  be  occasioned 
by  the  raysof  hght  falhng  on  clouds  or  mist,  and  thence  reflected. 

The  uncertainty  in  which  we  are  with  respect  to  the  cause  of  this 
phenomenon  may  be  made  useful  to  us.  How  many  things  do  we 
not  see  in  the  heavens  and  on  the  earth  which  the  greatest  philoso- 
phers cannot  explain  ?  This  ought  to  render  us  humble,  and  check 
that  pride  which  is  continually  raising  us  in  our  own  estimation,  and 
teach  us  that  many  very  inconsiderable  things  often  confound  the 
wisest  amongst  us  in  their  investigations,  and  elude  their  most  atten- 
tive research.  There  are  innumerable  objects  that  Ave  acknowledge 
are  arranged  with  wisdom,  and  perform  the  most  useful  offices,  with 
whose  true  principles,  end,  and  catenation  with  the  material  world, 
we  are  unacquainted.  Happily  this  ignorance  does  not  always  affect 
our  happiness;  for  though  we  cannot  exactly  determine  the  cause  of 
the  Aurora  Borealis,  our  peace  of  mind  is  not  therefore  destroyed,  nor 
our  comforts  diminished.  And  however  ignorant  we  may  be  of  that 
and  much  more,  we  are  yet  so  far  favoured  as  to  know  that  all  the 
phenomena  of  the  physical  as  well  as  of  the  intellectual  world  pro- 
ceed from  an  all-ruling  Providence,  which  governs  the  universe  with 
wisdom,  and  directs  it  with  harmony  and  love.  Those  who  rightly 
feel  this  truth  will  have  sufficient  cause  to  bless  and  to  adore  the 
Almighty,  as  well  as  objects  enough  to  engage  their  attention  and 
exercise  their  faculties  during  their  short  passage  through  this  life. 
Let  us  be  moreover  thankful  that  we  were  not  born  in  those  ages 
when  ignorance  ruled  and  superstition  triumphed;  when,  upon  the 
appearance  of  such  a  phenomenon  as  we  have  just  described,  whole 
nations  trembled  and  were  thrown  into  consternation.  This  beautiful 
spectacle  presented  to  their  troubled  imagination  armies  opposed  to 
each  other,  and  dreadful  battles  fought  in  the  air  ;  whence  they  prog- 
nosticated the  greatest  evils.  The  Aurora  Borealis  was  to  them  the 
evil  genius  which  proclaimed  war,  famine  and  pestilence  ;  and  terror 
and  dismay  spread  through  the  country. 


84 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MARCH  VI. 

POWER  OF  GOD  DISPLAYED   IN  THE  MINUTEST  OBJECTS. 

The  azure  vault  of  heaven,  the  immensurability  of  space,  the  con- 
stellations in  the  firmament,  the  variety  of  creatures  which  inhabit 
the  earth  and  fill  the  air  and  the  waters,  all  display  the  glory  and 
announce  the  infinite  power  of  Almighty  God.  But  it  is  not  alone  in 
the  great  obierts  of  nature  that  we  trace  the  wisdom  of  the  Creator  ; 
it  is  equally  conspicuous  in  the  least  of  his  works.  A  single  grain  of 
sand  viewed  through  a  glass  which  magnifies  a  million  of  times  will 
excite  the  greatest  astonishment ;  and  who  would  not  be  surprised  to 
discover  that  an  insect  lives  within  it?*  Even  in  our  own  body  we 
can  discover  objects  inconceivably  small  and  well  deserving  observa- 
tion ;  every  where  on  the  surface  of  the  body  are  innumerable  pores, 
a  very  small  part  of  which  can  be  discovered  by  the  naked  eye.  The 
epidermis  resembles  the  scales  of  a  fish,  and  it  is  calculated  that  a 
grain  of  sand  will  cover  250  of  these  scales,  and  that  one  of  these 
scales  can  cover  500  of  the  interstices  or  pores  through  which  the 
insensible  perspiration  passes. 

Have  you  ever  considered  the  wonderful  structure  of  the  hairs  of 
your  head?  They  are  hollow  tubes  ;  each  of  which  has  a  bulbous 
root,  a  marrowy  substance,  and  connecting  filaments.  Every  thing 
ought  to  convince  us  that  there  are  thousands  of  objects  in  nature 
which  are  wrapt  in  mystery,  and  that  we  have  many  discoveries  to 
make  of  things  at  present  entirely  unknown  to  us.  There  may  be 
a  thousand  wonders  in  the  formation  of  our  body  of  which  no  person 
has  yet  thought,  and  which  he  would  be  far  from  suspecting  :  and 
there  are  some  organs  existing,  the  use  of  which  we  do  not  yet  know. 
And  how  many  objects  may  there  not  be  in  nature,  so  minute,  that 
the  microscope  cannot  detect,  nor  the  understanding  conceive  them  ; 
but  which,  if  known,  would  furnish  new  proofs  of  the  grandeur  of 
God  !  The  Uttle  that  we  do  know  is  suflScient  to  convince  us  that  his 
power,  wisdom,  and  goodness,  in  small  things  as  well  as  in  great,  are 
most  admirably  manifest. 

The  sands  of  the  sea,  as  well  as  the  expanse  of  heaven,  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  stars,  and  the  roaring  of  the  tempest,  declare  the  glory 
of  the  mighty  God.  The  trees  in  the  beauty  of  their  foliage,  and  the 
least  grain  and  seeds  in  their  abundance,  cry  with  one  voice.  It  is 
God  who  hath  made  us,  give  all  glory  and  honour  to  the  Creator  ! 
And  to  him,  and  him  only,  ought  we  to  give  glory.  The  smallest  of 
his  creatures  display  his  power  :  the  structure  of  a  fly  is  as  curiouä  as 
that  of  an  elephant ;  a  single  blade  of  grass  as  that  of  the  stately 
oak  ;  and  the  formation  of  a  grain  of  sand  is  as  wonderful  as  that  of 

*  The  author  very  gravely  asserts,  that  *  if  you  examine  a  crumb  of  mouldy  bread 
through  a  glass  which  magnifies  some  milUons  of  times,  you  will  discover  a  thick  forest 
of  fruit-bearing  trees,  whose  branches,  leaves,  and  fruit,  may  be  easily  distin- 
guished I' — E. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


85 


a  mountain.  No  creature  that  he  has  formed  is  unworthy  our  atten- 
tion; those  which  we  consider  as  the  most  despicable,  contain  wonder- 
ful properties  ;  and  as  God  has  condescended  to  create  them,  they  are 
certainly  worthy  our  esteem  and  regard. 


MARCH  VII. 

THE  EFFECTS  OF  WINTER  GRADUALLY  DEPART. 

The  same  wisdom,  which,  at  the  beginning  of  winter,  caused  the 
increase  of  cold  to  be  gradual,  now  orders  its  departure  so,  that  it 
diminishes  by  degrees,  and  the  rigorous  season  insensibly  verges 
towards  an  end.  The  sun  remains  longer  above  the  horizon,  and  his 
rays  act  more  powerfully  upon  the  earth  ;  flakes  of  snow  no  longer 
obscure  the  atmosphere,  and  the  nights  only  produce  a  white  frost, 
which  vanishes  before  the  noon-day  sun.  The  sky  becomes  serene  ; 
the  fogs  and  vapours  either  disperse  or  are  converted  into  beneficial 
showers.  The  earth  is  rendered  soft  and  pliable,  and  imbibes  mois- 
ture ;  seeds  begin  to  open  out,  branches  which  appeared  dead,  put 
forth  tender  buds,  and  the  blades  of  grass  spring  up  out  of  the  earth. 
We  see  nature  universally  preparing  to  restore  verdure  to  the  fields, 
leaves  to  the  trees,  and  the  long  lost  flowers  to  the  gardens.  Notwith- 
standing the  tempests,  the  hail,  and  the  yet  frosty  nights,  she  is 
silently  labouring  to  bring  back  the  spring  ;  she  will  soon  put  off  her 
sad  and  gloomy  aspect,  and  resume  all  her  charms  and  fascinating 
beauties,  laughing  with  youth  and  gayety. 

It  is  thus  that  all  the  changes  in  nature  are  gradually  accomplished. 
Each  eflfect  that  we  perceive  has  been  preceded  by  some  exciting 
cause ;  a  thousand  circumstances  which  escape  our  notice  succeed 
each  other,  until  the  great  designs  of  nature  are  completed.  Many 
springs  are  put  in  motion  before  a  single  blade  of  grass  can  spring  up 
or  one  bud  be  unfolded.  All  those  changes  which  have  so  unplea- 
santly affected  us  during  the  winter  were  necessary  to  ensure  us  the 
smiling  prospect  that  so  soon  promises  to  open  before  our  delighted 
view.  Tempests,  rains,  frost,  and  snow,  were  requisite,  that  the 
earth  might  repose,  or  undergo  that  state  by  w^hich  its  powers  are  re- 
newed and  its  vigour  repaired,  to  enable  it  to  sustain  a  greater  degree 
of  fertilization.  Now  that  the  advantages  of  these  arrangements  of 
nature  begin  to  unfold,  and  we  discover  some  of  the  ends  they  were 
destined  to  fulfil,  we  acknowledge  their  propriety,  and  the  beneficial 
consequences  of  winter  demonstrate  to  us  its  great  utility  to  the  earth. 

As  the  seasons  continually  vary,  so  also  do  the  periods  and  events 
of  our  lives  continually  change.  In  the  life  of  each  individual  there 
is  a  catenation  of  causes  and  eflfects,  which  will  remain  wrapped  in 
mystery,  till  eternity  shall  lift  up  the  veil,  and  show  why  certain 
events  were  necessary  and  beneficial  to  our  condition.  Perhaps  we 
are  unable  to  know  why  we  happen  to  be  born  in  a  particular  family, 


86 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


and  in  a  certain  place  rather  than  another  ;  why  certain  accidents 
have  befallen  us,  or  why  we  embraced  some  particular  mode  of  life  in 
preference  to  another  :  all  which  at  first  might  be  hidden  from  us  ; 
but  now  we  comprehend  that  one  action  was  a  consequence  of  ano- 
ther, that  the  past  was  necessary  for  the  present,  and  that  many 
events  which  did  not  seem  to  accord  with  the  plan  of  our  lives  were 
yet  essential  to  the  happiness  we  now  enjoy.  We  are  hourly  ap- 
proaching that  period  when  all  the  events  of  our  Hves,  and  the  secret 
springs  and  causes  which  operated  to  produce  them,  will  be  made 
known  to  us ;  and  perhaps  w^e  are  at  this  moment  upon  the  eve  of 
taking  our  flight  for  the  regions  of  futurity,  w^iich,  according  to  our 
deserts,  will  be  happy  or  miserable.  O  God !  influence  my  heart  to 
believe,  that  so  it  may  be  filled  with  peace  and  joy ;  and  when  the 
visible  creation  shall  depart  from  before  my  eyes,  grant  that  I  may 
enter  mto  a  blessed  eternity ;  and  permit  me  to  enjoy  such  a  foretaste 
of  ii  as  shall  elevate  my  soul  above  every  earthly  and  perishable  thing ! 


MARCH  VIII. 

THE  EXTERNAL  PARTS  OF  THE  HUMAN  BODY. 

While  the  beauty  of  nature  is  veiled,  and  the  fields  and  the  gar- 
dens have  not  yet  gained  those  charms  which  fascinate  and  invite  to 
enjoyment,  let  us  consider  the  structure  and  formation  of  the  human 
body,  which  will  furnish  ample  cause  for  admiring  the  power  and 
wisdom  of  God. 

^  Amongst  the  most  remarkable  and  conspicuous  parts  of  the  body 
is  the  head,  whether  considered  as  to  the  beauty  of  its  form  and  ap- 
pearance, or  as  the  supposed  centre  of  sensation  and  seat  of  the  mind. 
The  organs  of  sight,  of  hearing,  of  smelling,  and  of  tasting,  are  all 
placed  in  this  wonderful  part ;  and  upon  the  face,  where  shines  every 
beauty,  all  the  movements  of  the  heart,  all  the  feelings,  are  por- 
trayed ;  the  secret  sentiments  of  the  mind  are  legible,  and  the  passions 
of  the  soul  displayed.  The  lips,  a^  they  move  in  smiles,  or  assist  the 
tongue  in  giving  harmony  and  diversity  of  tone  to  the  voice ;  the 
teeth,  as  they  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  countenance  and  divide  and 
comminute  the  food  ;  with  the  different  glands  in  the  mouth,  which 
secrete  the  saliva  so  necessary  to  digestion  ;  are  all  admirable,  and 
wonderfully  formed.  The  head,  from  its  peculiar  articulation  with 
the  neck,  is  capable  of  turning  in  any  direction  ;  the  shoulders  are 
constructed  in  a  manner  which  gives  the  greatest  degree  of 
strength  of  which  a  form  like  ours  is  capable  ;  to  them  are  attached 
the  arms,  and  to  these  the  hands,  which  are  formed  with  exquisite 
wisdom  ;  we  are  enabled  to  perform  by  their  means  an  infinite  variety 
of  motions  ;  their  peculiar  structure  is  one  great  cause  of  our  supe- 
riority in  the  arts,  and  all  their  movements  are  faciUtated  by  their 
numerous  bones  and  joints. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


87 


The  chest  forms  a  bony  cavity,  in  which  the  heart  and  lungs  se- 
curely perform  their  functions.  The  diaphragm  separates  them  from 
the  abdomen,  which  contains  the  stomach,  the  Uver,  the  spleen,  the 
kidneys,  and  the  intestines.  All  this  mass  is  supported  by  the  hips 
and  lower  extremities,  wliich  have  various  joints  to  facilitate  their 
motion  ;  and  lastly,  the  feet  contribute  very  powerfully  to  this  impor- 
tant purpose.  The  whole  body  is  covered  with  skin,  beneath  which 
are  muscles,  Avith  which  we  are  enabled  to  perform  our  various  mo- 
tions; and  we  find,  in  some  parts,  a  luxuriance  of  hair,  which  much 
adds  to  the  beauty  of  the  whole.  " 

What  a  diversity  we  see  in  these  different  parts  !  and  yet  they  are 
only  some  that  are  the  most  conspicuous,  for  there  are  many  more 
equally  essential.  Their  form,  structure,  order,  situation,  movements, 
and  harmony,  all  display  their  divine  origin.  No  part  of  the  body 
is  imperfect  or  useless,  and  the  least  alteration  in  its  present  organi- 
zation disturbs  its  regularity  and  interrupts  its  functions. 

If  we  only  consider  the  consequences  of  being  deprived  of  our 
hands,  or  having  them  formed  like  the  hoof  of  a  horse,  how  helpless 
we  should  be,  incapable  even  of  providing  for  our  most  urgent  neces- 
sities, we  should  admire  and  rejoice  in  our  present  happy  conforma- 
tion. If  we  possessed  the  ratiocinative  faculty  with  the  form  of 
some  quadruped  or  reptile,  how  incapable  we  should  be  of  exercising 
those  arts  and  employments  w  hich  we  now  perform  !  or  had  w^e,  like 
the  fabled  Cyclops,  but  one  eye  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead, 
how  impossible  to  see  objects  on  the  right  or  on  the  left,  and  how  con- 
fined would  be  our  view  !  or  if  our  ear  was  differently  situated,  how 
imperfectly  we  should  distinguish  sounds  !  We  should  be  perfectly 
satisfied  that  the  present  organization  of  our  body  is  best  adapted  for  our 
condition  in  life,  and  we  should  bow  down  with  reverence  and  grati-  ^ 
tude  before  the  throne  of  the  Almighty,  who  has  thus  so  wonderfully 
formed  us  ;  who  has  given  us  senses,  wdiich,  however  excellent  from 
nature,  may  all  be  improved  by  cultivation ;  and  a  mind,  the  expan- 
sibility of  which  seems  to  be  unlimited.  Seeing  then  that  it  depends 
upon  ourselves  whether  our  mind  is  to  be  luminous  and  our  senses 
acute,  or  whether  it  is  to  be  contracted  and  they  brutified  and  cal- 
lous, let  us  pray  to  the  God  of  nature  that  we  may  never  lose  sight 
of  these  truths,  nor  ever  neglect  improving  those  talents  which,  in 
his  infinite  mercy  and  condescension,  he  has  entrusted  to  our  care. 
Let  us  take  the  greatest  care  and  make  the  noblest  use  of  our  bodies, 
seeing,  that  after  they  shall  have  reposed  a  certain  period  in  the 
grave,  they  will  be  restored  to  us  infinitely  more  glorious  and  perfect. 
It  behooves  us  then  not  to  dishonour  a  body  which  will  be  so  illustrious 
in  a  future  world,  conformed  to  the  glorified  body  of  our  Lord.  Let 
the  blessed  and  glorious  hope  of  our  future  bliss,  from  this  moment, 
animate  us  to  dedicate  our  bodies  to  holiness,  to  regard  them  as  the 
temple  of  the  Deity,  and  preserve  them  pure  and  blameless  till  the 
glorious  coming  of  Christ  Jesus. 


88 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MARCH  IX. 

HOPE  OF  SPRING. 

Every  day  hastens  the  approach  of  spring",  and  our  hearts  begin 
to  throb  with  the  pleasurable  hope  of  soon  seeing  the  happy  time  ar- 
rive, when  we  can  inhale  the  balmy  breeze,  and,  walking  forth  into 
the  fields,  see  all  nature  rejoice.  This  sweet  expectation  is  one  of 
the  few  which  does  not  deceive,  because  it  is  founded  on  the  invaria- 
ble laws  of  nature.  The  charms  of  this  fond  hope  are  alike  diffused 
through  every  pure  heart :  it  is  not  the  splendour  of  the  purple,  nor 
the  glittering  of  the  diadem,  which  alone  procure  these  delights,  that 
often  cheer  the  peaceful  breast  of  the  cottager,  who  cannot  penetrate 
the  abode  of  royalty,  nor  find  entrance  amid  the  busy  sons  of  traflfic. 
The  arrival  of  spring  is  attended  with  a  thousand  new  delights  *  the 
beauty  and  fragrance  of  the  opening  blossoms,  the  warbling  of  the 
birds,  and  the  widely  diffused  joy  and  gayety  that  smile  around.  In 
general  our  terrestrial  hopes  are  damped  by  anxiety  and  repressed  by 
doubt,  but  the  hope  of  spring  is  no  less  certain  and  satisfactory  than 
it  is  pure  and  innocent.  Let  us,  then,  whilst  the  stormy  days  of 
March  shall  continue,  instead  of  repining  and  being  chagrined,  in- 
dulge-the  fond  hope  of  spring,  and  suffer  its  pleasing  influence  to 
cheer  our  souls. 

Hope  is  one  of  the  choicest  gifts  which  Heaven  mercifully  deigns 
to  mortality  ;  when  the  storms  roar  and  the  tempests  howl,  hope  still 
supports  our  drooping  spirits,  and  the  rays  of  consolation  gladden  our 
hearts.  Without  this  pleasing  emotion  how  sad  and  dreary  would 
,  have  passed  many  of  the  winter  hours  !  Cheered  by  the  hope  of 
spring  I  have  borne  with  patience,  and  endured  without  complaint, 
the  rigours  of  winter  and  the  hardships  of  the  season,  and  now  I  am 
upon  the  eve  of  seeing  it  realized  :  a  few  more  boisterous  days  passed, 
and  all  the  beauteous  pictures  my  imagination  has  so  brilliantly 
painted  will  be  confirmed  ;  the  sky  will  become  serene,  the  air  mild, 
the  sun  return  with  power,  and  the  earth  resume  her  long-lost  beauty. 
Gracious  God  !  I  humbly  thank  thee,  and  bow  before  thee  in  the 
fullness  of  my  joy  and  the  overflowing  of  my  gratitude,  for  the 
source  of  that  consolation,  which,  in  the  hour  of  distress,  warms  my 
heart  and  softens  the  asperities  of  life.  With  what  providential  care 
and  merciful  regard  thou  hast  veiled  the  evils  which  hover  around 
me,  whilst  the  pleasures  which  await  me  are  seen  far  off,  and  smile 
upon  my  exertions ! 

Without  hope,  how  dieary  would  be  the  world  ;  appearing  to  the 
care-worn  pilgrim  one  wide  desert,  all  the  paths  of  which  are  sur- 
rounded with  misery,  beset  with  trouble,  and  embittered  with  sorrow ! 
But  hope  lights  us  on  our  way  ;  when  darkness  lowers  and  gloom 
oppresses,  hope  strengthens  our  faltering  steps,  collects  our  scattered 
senses,  and  presents  to  our  view  a  pleasing  prospect  lying  before  us 
and  just  within  our  reach  ;  we  spring  forward  with  alacrity,  and  often 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


89 


ass  our  lives  in  the  eager  pursuit,  with  as  much  pleasure  as  if  we 
ad  obtained  the  object  of  our  wishes.  Hope  raises  the  sinking  heart, 
and  restores  the  courage  which  begins  to  droop;  and  each  time  I  feel 
the  magic  influence  of  her  rays,  I  will  bless  thee,  O  my  God  !  and 
thank  thee  for  the  daily  benefits  I  receive,  as  w^ell  as  for  those  reserv- 
ed for  me  at  a  future  time.  Blessed  for  ever  be  thy  divine  mercy, 
which  permits  me  to  hope  that  w^hen  time  here  shall  be  no  more,  my 
glad  soul  shall  quit  these  narrow  confines,  to  repose  in  the  bosom  of 
its  Creator,  through  the  countless  ages  of  eternity.  Were  it  not  for 
this  certainty  of  immortality,  this  fond  hope  of  eternal  life  and  happi- 
ness, few  w^ould  be  the  incitements  to  virtue,  and  weak  the  induce- 
ments to  mental  improvement ;  when  oppressed  by  care  and  weighed 
down  by  misery,  we  should  have  little  encouragement  to  continue 
longer  in  a  world  checquered  by  misfortune  ;  or,  did  afl[luence  favour 
us,  we  should  be  tempted  to  indulge  in  the  thoughtless  round  of  con- 
tinued dissipation.  But  with  the  expectation  of  a  future  glorious 
state  of  existence,  we  can  smile  at  care  and  trouble,  arm  ourselves 
against  the  fleeting  pleasures  of  this  life,  and  pity  the  deluded  dis- 
ciples of  folly  and  dissipation. 


r  MARCH  X, 

HOAR-FROST. 

At  this  season  of  the  year  we  very  frequently  observe  the  bushes, 
and  other  matters  exposed  to  the  morning  or  evening  air,  acquire  a 
sort  of  crust  on  the  surface,  as  if  they  were  candied.  This  is  what 
is  called  hoar-frost,  w^hich  is  merely  the  exhalations  and  moisture 
condensed  and  frozen  by  the  coldness  of  the  surrounding  air.  The 
dew  which  during  the  day  has  evaporated  from  the  earth,  descends  in 
the  night,  and  in  cold  weather  becomes  congealed,  putting  on  that 
white  appearance  we  so  often  observe  in  a  morning ;  and  as  the  large 
bodies  retain  their  heat  the  longest,  wo  generally  see  more  of  the  frost 
upon  the  hedges  and  grass  than  on  the  larger  trees.  The  dew  com- 
ing in  contact  with  bodies  colder  than  itself,  imparts  to  them  a  portion 
of  its  heat,  the  loss  of  w^hich,  if  considerable,  occasions  it  to  lose  its 
fluidity  ;  when  its  particles  condensed  unite  more  closely,  and  form  a 
slender  coating  of  ice.  In  this  manner  our  hair,  as  well  as  that  of 
animals,  is  sometimes  covered  with  hoar-frost :  the  perspirable  matter 
exposed  to  the  cold  air  becomes  congealed,  and  this  effect  is  produced. 
Thus  also  are  formed  the  icicles  we  see  hanging  from  the  houses  in 
winter :  the  water  dropping  down  imparts  the  heat  it  contains  to  the 
colder  air,  and  thus  losing  its  fluidity  becomes  congealed. 


90 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MARCH  XI. 

MEANS  WHICH  CONTRIBUTE  TO  FERTILIZE  THE  EARTH. 

The  wisdom  of  God  employs  a  variety  of  means  to  render  the  earth 
fiuitful.  At  one  time  the  opening  clouds  shower  down  the  rain, 
which  softens  and  nourishes  the  earth  ;  at  other  times,  when  deprived 
of  the  benefit  of  rain,  a  gentle  dew  refreshes  its  surface,  and  animates 
the  feeble  plants,  languishing  for  want  of  moisture.  Each  season 
has  its  peculiar  means  of  fertilizing  the  earth.  The  snow,  which, 
during  the  winter,  covered  our  fields  and  our  meadows,  not  only  pre- 
served them  from  the  eflfects  of  the  cold,  but  tended  to  their  subse- 
quent fertility.  The  frequent  tempests  in  the  spring  preserve  the 
purity  of  the  air,  dry  the  earth,  and  disperse  the  rain  more  generally 
over  its  surface  :  with  each  storm  of  wind  and  of  rain  the  Creator 
scatters  his  blessings  upon  the  earth. 

We  may  safely  aflfirm  that  there  is  no  change  in  the  air  or  upon 
the  earth  which  does  not  directly  or  indirectly  contribute  to  its  fertiht)'-. 
Every  season  brings  a  succession  of  phenomena  peculiar  to  it,  each  of 
which  produces  in  nature  effects,  the  beneficial  influence  of  which  is 
more  or  less  visible.  Even  those  plagues  which  desolate  certain 
countries  are  only  partial  evils,  conducing  to  fulfil  the  great  designs 
of  Providence,  and  from  which  advantages  result  to  the  world  at 
large.  Every  where,  and  at  all  times,  we  have  cause  to  be  thankful 
to  our  Creator  for  his  tender  cares  and  parental  solicitude. 

"  O  Lord,  God  of  times  and  of  seasons  !  thy  praises  reach  from  the 
centre  of  this  globe  to  the  heaven  of  heavens  !  Our  sphere  rolls 
through  the  starry  expanse  ;  now  blooming  with  flowers,  and  now 
wrapped  in  snow ;  here  blushing  with  the  vine,  there  covered  with 
thorns.  Yet  it  still  celebrates  thy  glory,  and  unites  its  music  to  the 
harmony  of  the  spheres.  When  the  snow  and  the  ice  convert  our 
meadows  into  desert  places  ;  when  the  hurricane  gathers  in  the  air, 
the  thunder  peals,  and  the  lightning  causes  the  hearts  of  men  to 
tremble  ;  when  rivers,  bursting  their  banks  with  one  vast  swell,  inun- 
date a  country,  and  all  the  elements  seem  to  combine  and  prepare  for 
the  final  destruction  of  the  world  ;  it  is  then  thou  art  providing  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  life,  joy,  fertility,  and  abundance." 

Here  we  may  properly  consider  the  means  which  God  uses  to  fer- 
tilize the  moral  world.  To  lead  men  to  a  knowledge  of  his  will 
concerning  them  ;  to  inspire  them  with  an  aversion  of  sin,  and  a  love 
for  virtue  and  the  practice  of  good  ;  he  sometimes  speaks  the  language 
of  gentleness  and  pei-suasion  in  their  hearts,  at  others  in  a  louder  and 
more  terrible  tone.  Sometimes  he  appals  the  guilty  by  the  severity 
of  his  judgments ;  and  awakens  the  indifferent  from  their  slumbers 
by  the  force  of  their  sufferings.  He  declares  himself  to  be  hardened 
and  unrelenting,  as  he  formerly  appeared  to  the  Israelites  upon  Mount 
Sinai,  clothed  in  lightning  and  speaking  in  thunder  ;  but  the  softer 
heart  he  gently  leads  from  vice  with  tenderness  and  mild  persuasion. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


91 


I  am  a  living  witness  of  Iiis  divine  beneficence,  and  I  acknowledge,  with 
praises  and  thanksgiving,  that  he  has  exercised  all  these  means  to 
draw  me  nearer  to  his  presence.  Sometimes  it  has  pleased  him  to 
confound  my  pride  by  chastisements,  and  to  awaken  me  to  a  sense  of 
my  duty  by  various  afflictions  and  trials,  which,  whilst  they  softened 
my  heart,  tended  to  wean  my  affections  from  the  things  of  this  world. 
At  other  times  he  has  visited  me  with  his  blessings,  and  his  favours 
have  descended  upon  me  more  abundant  than  the  vernal  showers. 
But  what  return  have  I  made  for  these  benefits?  Have  I  brought  forth 
fruit,  which  a  good  soil  never  refuses  w^hen  cultivated  1  Alas  !  my 
heart  rather  resembles  a  rock,  which  the  thunder  cannot  shake,  nor 
the  rain  penetrate ;  yet  I  hope,  O  God  !  the  time  w^ill  arrive,  when  I 
shall  become  more  submissive  to  thy  will,  and  more  disposed  to  obey 
thy  commands.  The  longer  I  put  off  the  hour  of  repentance,  the 
more  my  sins  multiply,  and  the  more  difficult  I  find  it  to  purify  my 
heart :  and  I  pray  to  the  Almighty  God  that  he  will  not  leave  me  a  prey 
to  my  own  evil  disposition,  but  that  he  will  graciously  condescend  yet 
to  bear  with  my  weakness,  and  enable  me  to  draw  nearer  to  him : 
whether  it  will  be  my  lot  to  experience  hardships  and  misfortunes,  or 
to  pass  along  the  vale  of  years  in  peace  and  tranquillity,  1  will  bless 
the  God  of  my  salvation,  and  pray  not  that  I  may  pass  my  days  in 
indolence  and  vanity,  but  that  I  may  be  productive  of  good  works. 


MARCH  XII. 

OF  THE  ADVANTAGES  DERIVED  FROM   THE  SEA. 

A  merely  superficial  view  of  our  globe  might  give  occasion  to 
believe  that  there  is  no  proper  proportion  observed  between  the  earth 
and  the  water,  the  vast  expanse  of  the  latter  seeming  to  accord  ill 
with  the  accustomed  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God.  We  think  that 
we  should  have  received  more  benefit,  if  it  had  pleased  the  Creator  to 
have  suffered  the  great  space  occupied  by  the  seas  and  the  ocean  to 
have  been  solid  land.  Short-sighted  and  ignorant  men !  are  you  yet 
to  learn  that  nature  does  nothing  in  vain,  and  that  God  has  formed 
this  earth  with  inconceivable  wisdom  and  harmony  in  all  its  parts  ] 
If  the  ocean  was  reduced  to  only  half  its  present  size,  half  the  exhala- 
tions which  now  ascend  from  it  would  cease  to  form  clouds,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  earth  would  not  be  sufficiently  irrigated ;  for 
great  part  of  the  rain  which  descends  from  the  skies  is  an  effect  of  the 
heat  causing  an  evaporation  from  the  surface  of  the  sea.  Thus  we 
find  the  ocean  is  the  grand  reservoir,  which  supphes  the  earth  with 
moisture,  and  consequently  with  fertility.  If  the  extent  of  the  seas 
should  be  diminished,  great  part  of  the  earth  would  become  as  a  de- 
sert, dry  and  sterile,  from  the  want  of  rain  ;  and  the  somxes  of  those 
rivers  that  depend  upon  the  rain  would  be  exhausted.  The  inter- 
course between  distant  nations  being  cut  off,  or  rendered  nearly 


92 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


impracticable,  commerce  would  cease ;  by  which  we  should  be  de- 
prived of  many  of  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life,  besides  losing 
that  expansion  of  mind  which  arises  from  our  knowledge  of  foreign 
countries,  and  an  acquaintance  with  men  and  customs  different  from 
our  own.  For  it  is  an  incontrovertible  fact,  that  in  proportion  as  the 
inhabitants  of  a  country  keep  themselves  confined  within  their  own 
little  territory,  without  any  intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  they 
become  contracted,  prejudiced,  and  ignorant. 

Let  us  then  acknowledge,  with  gratitude,  the  wisdom  of  God  in 
this  beautiful  arrangement  of  the  universe  ;  that  the  same  medium 
through  which  we  become  acquainted  with  every  part  of  the  universe 
is  the  great  source  of  all  our  treasures,  whether  in  commerce  or  in 
agriculture,  and  supplies  millions  of  people  with  their  daily  food  and 
support. 


MARCH  XIIL 

DIFFERENCE  EXISTING  BETWEEN  ANIMALS  AND  PLANTS. 

The  difference  between  animals  and  vegetables  is  so  obvious,  that  we 
can  readily  distinguish  them  by  the  slightest  observation.  The  most 
striking  distinction  is  the  power  which  animals  possess  of  moving  from 
place  to  place,  which  vegetables  do  not  enjoy.  Another  very  essen- 
tial distinction  is  the  faculty  of  perception,  which  animals  have  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  but  which  is  not  common  to  plants.  A  third 
difference  is  the  manner  in  which  they  are  nourished.  Animals,  by 
means  of  proper  organs,  have  the  power  of  selecting  that  kind  of 
aliment  which  is  adapted  to  their  nature  :  whilst  plants  are  obliged, 
without  choice,  to  receive  such  as  the  earth  and  water  offer  them,  or 
perish  for  want.  By  means  of  vessels  they  imbibe  the  succulent  ^ 
juices  of  the  earth  ;  and  their  leaves,  likewise  furnished  with  vessels,  ™ 
absorb  the  moisture  of  the  atmosphere  which  circulates  through  their 
system.  The  variety  of  species  is  much  greater  in  the  animal  than 
in  the  vegetable  kingdom  ;  amongst  insects  even,  there  are  perhaps  a 
greater  number  of  classes  (including  those  distinguishable  only  by  a 
microscope)  than  there  are  species  of  plants  known  on  the  surface  of 
the  globe.  Animals  have  less  conformity  with  each  other  than  plants 
have,  which  renders  them  more  difficult  to  classify. 

Another  distinguishing  characteristic  is  the  different  mode  in  which 
animals  and  plants  are  propagated  :  and  plants,  whether  they  appear 
above  the  surface  of  the  earth  or  are  buried  beneath,  whether  they 
float  above  water  or  are  below  it,  have  their  roots  fixed  in  the  earth ; 
whilst  animals  are  found  at  large  on  every  part  of  the  earth,  or  they 
inhabit  the  air,  or  dwell  in  the  waters  ;  they  are  found  every  where 
throughout  nature.  And  lastly,  they  differ  from  each  other  most  ma- 
terially in  their  form.  Yet,  notwithstanding  these  certain  and  obvi- 
ous characteristics,  we  are  far  from  having  discovered  the  exact  limits 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


93 


of  these  two  kingdoms,  or  from  knowing  how  to  distinguish  them  in 
every  instance ;  nature,  in  diversifying  her  works,  makes  use  of 
shades  almost  imperceptible.  In  the  great  chain  of  beings  the 
hnks  are  beautifully  formed  ;  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  the  de- 
gree of  perfection  gradually  falls ;  but  by  such  a  gradation,  that  the 
most  perfect  differs  but  little  from  the  one  immediately  next  to  it. 
We  find  some  plants  endowed  with  sensibility,  and  some  animals  that 
are  nearly  void  of  sensation.  Corals  formerly  were  thought  to  be 
marine  plants  ;  but  subsequent  observations  prove  them  to  belong  to 
the  animal  kingdom  :  and  there  are  many  substances  which  natural- 
ists are  not  yet  determined  under  what  class  they  should  be  arranged, 
so  difficult  is  the  task  of  assigning  the  precise  limits  to  either  king- 
dom ;  and  the  more  our  observations  are  multiplied,  the  more  shall 
we  be  convinced  of  this  difficulty,  arising  from  the  great  resemblance 
between  some  of  the  inferior  species  of  the  animal  kingdom  with  cer- 
tain vegetable  productions. 

Our  researches  into  nature  are  always  attended  with  this  happy 
effect ;  that  the  more  we  see  of  her  works,  whether  animate  or  inani- 
mate, the  more  we  are  convinced  that  the  world,  with  all  the  vast 
variety  of  beings  which  it  contains,  is  the  work  of  an  infinite  and  all- 
powerful  God.  Such  beauty,  harmony,  and  variety,  could  not  be 
self-created,  but  must  proceed  from  an  Almighty,  Omniscient,  and 
Infinite  Being,  whose  power  and  goodness  we  trace  through  all  the 
varieties  of  animated  beings,  beginning  with  the  meanest  reptile  that 
crawls  on  the  earth,  and  proceeding  from  link  to  link  till  we  arrive  at 
man,  the  angels,  and  God  himself,  the  great  First  Cause  of  all ;  or 
we  may  begin  with  the  rudest  species  of  matter,  the  stones  upon 
which  we  tread,  and  mark  the  variations  till  we  reach  those  lumina- 
ries that  nightly  present  their  revolving  orbs  to  our  astonished  view. 
All  speak  the  glory  of  God  the  Creator,  and  evince  his  protecting 
power  and  fatherly  care :  the  rays  of  his  perfection  beam  on  all  his 
works  ;  his  mercy  and  goodness  are  impartially  diffused  over  the  cre- 
ation ;  and  such  men  only  meet  with  superior  favour  and  divine  re- 
gard, who  act  as  becometh  those  who  are  conscious  that  all  their 
deeds  are  known  to  a  superintending  Providence,  which  loves  them 
as  they  love  one  another. 


MARCH  XIV. 

UNIFORMITY  AND  DIVERSITY  IN  THE  WORKS  OF  NATURE. 

The  heavens  above,  and  the  earth  beneath  our  feet,  though  they 
offer  us  at  different  times  varied  spectacles,  and  a  diversity  of  beauty, 
still  from  year  to  year  remain  the  same,  and  lose  nothing  during  the 
lapse  of  ages.  At  one  time  the  face  of  heaven  is  dark  with  clouds 
or  obscured  by  mists  ;  then  again  serene  and  of  a  pure  azure,  or 
streaked  with  the  most  beautiful   colours.    The  midnight  darkness 


94 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


yields  to  the  silvery  light  of  tlie  moon,  which  in  turn  is  lost  in  the 
glory  of  the  morning  sun.  One  while  the  vast  expanse  of  the  hea- 
vens displays  nought  but  gloom  ;  at  another,  it  is  impossible  to  num- 
ber the  constellations  that  illumine  the  regions  of  space.  If  the  hea- 
vens undergo  various  revolutions,  the  earth  is  not  less  subject  to 
change.  Within  a  very  short  period  the  severity  of  winter  has  wi- 
thered its  charms,  and  rendered  it  one  immense  field  of  uniform  steril- 
ity. But  soon  the  returning  spring,  succeeded  by  the  warm  summer, 
will  restore  its  beauty,  bring  back  its  delights,  and  open  out  its  trea- 
sures ;  and  autumn  will  follow  to  mellow  the  fruits  that  required  a 
long  time  to  be  matured.  Again,  what  a  varied  aspect  is  presented 
by  different  countries  upon  this  globe  !  In  one,  we  see  plains  w^hose 
utmost  boundaries  no  eye  can  penetrate,  whose  beauties  no  tongue 
can  describe  :  in  others,  mountains  whose  waving  tops  fan  the  breeze, 
and  at  whose  base  extend  valleys,  watered  by  the  richest  streams, 
and  laved  by  the  purest  rivers.  Here  gulfs  yawn,  and  precipices 
threaten ;  there  the  high  hill  dances  in  the  reflecting  wave,  and  the 
calm  lake  gently  washes  the  distant  shores  ;  whilst  afar  off  is  heard 
the  rush  of  the  torrent,  and  the  impetuous  roar  of  the  cataract. 
Wherever  the  eye  turns  it  meets  with  variety  to  interest ;  the  mind  is 
expanded,  and  joy  and  delight  cheer  the  heart. 

The  same  assemblage  of  uniformity  and  variety  exists  throughout 
the  vegetable  kingdom ;  the  subjects  of  which  all  proceed  from  the 
same  bountiful  mother,  and  receive  the  same  kind  of  nourishment : 
yet  what  an  astonishing  diversity  in  the  different  species,  both  as  to 
form  and  properties  !  Thus  we  see  the  oak  towering  above  the  grass, 
and  the  elm  looking  down  upon  the  humble  primrose.  All  that  bear 
a  resemblance  to  each  other  in  certain  particulars,  are  arranged  under 
the  same  class.  It  is  the  same  with  regard  to  animals,  which  are 
likewise  arranged  under  different  classes  according  to  their  resem- 
blances in  certain  points.  And  however  man,  by  the  superiority  of 
his  faculties,  is  raised  above  plants  and  animals,  some  things  he  en- 
joys in  common  w^ith  the  meanest  of  them.  Like  them  he  requires 
nourishment,  and  like  them  cannot  live  without  air,  water,  the  earth, 
and  the  influence  of  the  sun.  Plants  grow,  ripen,  increase,  wither, 
and  die  ;  and  these  laws  of  nature  extend  to  man  and  the  whole  ani- 
mal creation. 

If  we  proceed  to  examine  the  varieties  of  the  human  species,  what 
a  wonderful  mixture  of  conformity  and  diversity  we  meet  with  ! 
Human  nature  in  all  places  is  generally  the  same  ;  and  yet,  through 
all  the  extent  of  the  peopled  world,  we  find  that,  in  this  multitude  of 
men,  each  individual  has  a  figure  peculiar  to  himself,  a  physiognomy, 
and  certain  properties  and  qualities  of  mind  and  disposition,  which 
form  his  character,  and  serve  to  distinguish  him  from  all  the  rest  of 
the  species. 

Naturalists,  for  the  sake  of  accuracy  and  facilitating  their  re- 
searches, have  formed  three  general  heads  or  kingdoms  ;  the  animal, 
the  vegetable,  and  the  mineral,  under  which  they  arrange  all  the 
productions  of  nature :  these  again  are  subdivided  into  classes,  ge- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


96 


nera,  and  species.  Thus  every  substance  in  nature  is  arranged  under 
one  or  other  of  these  general  heads  ;  and  by  being  acquainted  with 
the  characteristics  of  any  particular  class,  when  we  meet  with  a 
new  production,  we  know  whether  or  not  it  is  entitled  to  a  place  in 
this  class. 

From  this  assemblage  of  uniformity  and  diversity,  which  is  infi- 
nitely extended,  arise  the  order  and  beauty  of  the  universe.  The 
diversity  of  form  and  properties  between  the  creatures  of  the  earth 
displays  the  wisdom  of  God,  who  has  designed  each  to  hold  a  certain 
place  and  rank  in  the  creation,  to  answer  certain  purposes  ;  and  he 
has  so  ordered,  that  no  one  can  destroy  the  relations  and  oppositions 
he  has  estabUshed  amongst  them.  He  has  founded  his  government 
upon  wisdom,  and  regulated  every  thing  for  the  utility  and  enjoy- 
ment of  his  creatures.  Confined  as  are  the  views  of  man,  partial 
and  contracted  as  are  his  thoughts,  he  yet  is  capable  of  knowing  and 
feeling  this  truth  ;  the  slightest  examination  of  the  universe  declares 
it  to  him ;  and  the  farther  he  penetrates,  the  more  he  regards  God 
manifested  in  his  works,  the  more  his  mental  powers  will  increase, 
and  the  less  will  he  be  affected  by  the  contaminating  influence  of  a 
base  and  sordid  world. 


MARCH  XV. 

OF  SEEDS. 

Vegetables  spring  fiom  seeds  ;  but  the  greater  part  of  them  are  not 
sown  by  man,  and  are  even  invisible  to  him  :  they  are  dispersed  by 
the  winds,  fall  upon  different  parts  of  the  earth,  take  root  and  spring 
up.  For  this  purpose  nature  has  furnished  them  with  different 
means ;  some  she  has  provided  with  a  hght  down,  which  renders 
them  more  capable  of  floating  on  the  air,  and  being  dispersed  to  dif- 
ferent places  ;  others  are  sufficiently  heavy  to  fall  immediately  to  the 
ground,  and  bury  themselves  in  it  without  any  assistance ;  and 
others,  that  are  light  enough  to  be  borne  along  by  the  wind,  are  often 
provided  with  little  hooks,  which,  laying  hold  of  different  substances 
in  their  way,  arrest  their  progress,  and  prevent  their  being  scattered 
very  far  from  their  native  soil.  Some  of  them  are  enclosed  in  elastic 
capsules,  which,  at  certain  periods,  burst  open,  and  shoot  out  their 
contents.  And  there  are  trees  which  owe  their  origin  to  the  birds  of 
the  air  :  oaks  have  been  known  to  spring  up  from  the  care  of  ravens  ; 
it  is  supposed  that,  led  by  instinct,  they  make  holes  in  the  earth  with 
their  beak,  and  deposit  the  acorns,  which  they  cover  over  with  earth 
and  moss,  as  a  supply  of  food  when  other  sources  fail.  Many  seeds 
after  being  swallowed  by  birds  remain  uninjured,  and  through  their 
medium  become  plants,  thrive,  blossom,  and  produce  new  seed.  If  to 
the  care  of  man  alone  the  fields  were  destined  to  receive  their  beauty, 
and  the  forests  their  verdure ;  if  no  seeds  were  to  take  root  in  the 


96 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


earth  but  those  coming  from  the  hand  of  man;  how  desolate  woiild 
be  our  meadows,  and  desert  our  groves  !  But  at  the  return  of  spring 
the  soil  again  waves,  and  the  odour  of  a  thousand  flowers  scents  the 
air,  without  the  assistance  of  man.  Yet  these  are  not  all  the  won- 
ders which  the  consideration  of  seeds  presents  to  us  ;  the  whole  plant 
is  contained  in  one  little  seed  :  within  the  narrow  compass  of  the 
acorn  are  concealed  all  the  rudiments  of  the  oak,  the  monarch  of  the 
fields  and  the  pride  of  nations.  And  we  farther  trace  the  wisdom 
of  the  Creator  in  the  admirable  structure  of  the  seed,  upon  the  pre- 
servation of  which  must  ultimatel)^  depend  the  existence  of  the  vege- 
table world. 

How  carefully,  and  with  what  precaution,  are  the  blossoms  and  seeds 
of  those  plants  which  continue  all  the  year  in  the  earth  enclosed  in 
and  defended  during  the  winter  by  strong  tunics  of  a  curious  texture  ! 
And  plants  which  cannot  bear  the  cold  of  winter  are  preserved  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  earth  in  the  form  of  roots,  till  the  vernal  sun  causes 
them  again  to  germinate,  and  flourish  with  renewed  cliarms.  Some 
seeds  are  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  fruit,  others  enclosed  in  capsules 
and  sheaths,  each  being  defended  and  protected  in  a  most  beautiful 
manner,  at  once  displaying  the  power  and  the  mercy  of  the  Creator, 
whose  hand  is  seen  in  every  thing.  The  least  of  nature's  works 
manifest  his  wisdqm  and  goodness.  And  now  whilst  the  busy  hus- 
bandman deposits  the  different  seeds  in  the  earth,  may  I  be  seriously 
occupied  with  my  God,  who  alone  can  sow  the  seed  of  righteousness, 
and  bring  forth  fruit. 


MARCH  XVI. 

GRANDEUR  AND  DISTANCE  OF  THE  SUN. 

If  we  have  never  properly  considered  the  narrow  compass  of  our 
earth,  or  are  too  ignorant  to  perceive  our  own  insignificance,  we  may 
perhaps  be  benefited  by  considering  that  immense  body  which  commu- 
nicates light  and  heat,  not  to  our  world  only,  but  to  many  others. 
The  sun,  nearly  in  the  centre  of  all  the  planets  and  comets,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  monarch  of  many  worlds,  to  which  he  imparts  light, 
heat,  and  motion.  This  alone  would  lead  us  to  conclude  that  his  size 
is  prodigious,  and  this  opinion  is  confirmed  by  his  apparent  magni- 
tude, notwithstanding  his  immense  distance  from  us.  But  the 
calculations  of  astronomers  have  certified  us  of  this  beyond  the  possi- 
bility of  doubt.  From  them  it  appears  that  the  diameter  of  the  sun 
is  about  100  times  greater  than  that  of  the  earth,  and  consequently  he 
is  a  million  times  larger  than  the  whole  earth. 

Astronomers  have  differed  respecting  his  distance  ;  the  truest  cal- 
culation makes  it  about  82  millions  of  miles.  Some  planets  move  in 
their  orbits  much  nearer  to  the  sun,  and  others  at  a  greater  distance, 
than  does  our  earth  ;  but  though,  if  formed  like  our  globe,  in  the  one 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


97 


case  they  perhaps  might  be  consumed  by  the  heat,  m  the  other 
wrapped  in  cold  and  darkness,  we  have  reason  to  beheve  that  those 
spheres  which  move  round  the  sun,  whether  nearer  to  him  or  more 
remote  than  our  earth,  are  so  constituted,  that  neither  the  globe  itself, 
nor  its  inhabitants,  suffer  fiom  their  situation. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  urged,  that  what  we  have  stated  respecting  the 
magnitude  and  distance  of  the  sun  is  exaggerated :  for  we  can  dis- 
cover nothing  so  great  as  the  earth  which  we  inhabit,  and  with  which 
we  compare  the  sun,  which  is  a  million  times  greater.  This  lumi- 
nary from  its  prodigious  distance  appearing  so  small,  ignorant  people 
are  disposed  rather  to  believe  that  which  they  can  see  with  their  own 
eyes,  than  give  credit  to  calculations  which  their  reason  cannot  com- 
prehend. But  had  we  been  placed  on  a  planet  whose  magnitude  bore 
the  same  proportion  to  the  earth  as  the  earth  now  does  to  the  sun,  we 
should  have  been  equally  incredulous  as  to  the  dimensions  of  this 
earth,  compared  with  that  we  then  inhabited.  It  is  far  from  being 
strange,  then,  that  we  should  be  astonished  when  we  are  told  of  the 
distance  and  vast  magnitude  of  the  sun. 

This  admiration  ought  to  make  us  ascend  to  that  Being  which  is 
its  Creator,  Director,  and  Conservator ;  compared  with  which,  the 
grandeur  and  brilliancy  of  the  sun  are  as  nothing :  consider  the  glory 
of  him  who  created  it,  and  you  will  find  infinitely  more  incomprehen- 
sibilities than  when  you  only  reflect  upon  the  grandeur  of  the  sun.  If 
the  earth,  compared  with  the  sun,  is  so  small,  what  must  be  the  little- 
ness of  man  compared  with  his  Creator  !  If  the  space  between  the 
earth  and  the  sun  is  found  to  be  so  immense,  what  an  inconceivable 
distance  is  there  between  man  and  the  infinite  God  ! 

*  Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Lord  !  What  can  be  compared  unto 
thee  1  Thy  glory  is  exalted  beyond  the  reach  of  praise,  and  thy 
grandeur  above  the  comprehension  of  man.  Glory,  splendour,  and 
majesty  surround  thee,  the  principle  and  source  of  life  ;  and  light 
encircles  thee  as  a  garment.'  But  whilst  we  admire  the  sun  as  he 
shines  above  the  horizon,  let  us  not  forget  our  divine  Redeemer,  that 
sun  of  righteousness  which  visited  us  in  our  afl[lictions,  and  whose  rays 
impart  life,  health,  and  eternal  salvation ;  and  without  which,  de- 
prived of  light,  virtue,  and  consolation,  we  should  still  wander  in 
darkness,  ignorance,  and  the  grossest  sin ! 


MARCH  XVII. 

UPON  THE  IMPERFECT  KNOWLEDGE  WE   HAVE  OP  NATURE. 

Why  has  not  the  Creator  given  us  the  power  of  investigating  and 
explaining  all  the  phenomena  of  nature,  for  which  purpose  the  limits 
of  our  understanding  are  too  confined  1  He  wills  that  we  should 
become  acquainted  with  his  perfections,  that  we  might  magnify  his 
name.  Would  not  then  the  most  certain  means  of  knowing^  and  ap- 
9  N  ^ 


98 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


preciating  his  attributes  be,  to  have  a  more  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  works  of  the  creation  ?  It  seems  to  me  as  if  I  could  much 
more  admire  the  grandeur  of  the  Supreme  Being,  and  contribute 
much  more  to  the  exakation  of  his  lioly  name,  if  I  was  enabled  to 
comprehend  the  v/hole,  to  know  the  perfections  of  each  part,  and  to 
discover  all  the  laws  and  springs  of  nature.  If  I  now  can  admire  the 
infinite  greatness  of  God,  when  I  only  know  a  small  part  of  his  works, 
what  would  my  sentiments  be,  how  absorbed  in  the  meditation  of  his 
glorious  attributes,  with  what  awe  and  veneration  should  I  adore  him, 
if  I  could  fully  penetrate  into  the  wonders  of  nature,  and  explain  with 
certainty  the  phenomena  she  brings  forth  ! 

But  perhaps  this  mode  of  judging  is  erroneous  ;  for  since  God  has 
not  thought  fit  to  give  us  a  more  profound  knowledge  of  nature,  we 
are  to  suppose  he  prefers  the  degree  of  adoration  and  glorification  he 
now  receives  from  our  limited  faculties,  to  that  he  would  have,  were 
we  to  enjoy  a  more  perfect  state.  Have  we  any  reason  to  be  surprised 
that  in  our  present  condition  we  are  ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of 
nature?  Our  senses  are  unable  to  penetrate  into  the  essence  of  things, 
and  we  cannot  form  an  idea  of  objects  which  our  senses  are  incapable 
of  observing.  And  there  is  an  abundance  of  things  which  our  senses 
cannot  discern.  If  w^e  wish  to  represent  to  our  imagination  any 
tiling  infinitely  great,  or  infinitely  small,  they  elude  our  grasp.  If  we 
reflect  upon  the  rapidity  with  which  the  rays  of  light  pass,  we  are 
incapable  of  following  the  velocity  ;  and  when  we  wish  to  conceive 
an  idea  of  the  vessels  and  circulation  of  blood  in  a  creature  a  million 
times  less  than  a  grain  of  sand,  we  feel  the  inadequacy  of  our  mental 
powers.  Hence,  as  nature  ascends  from  what  is  infinitely  small  to 
what  is  infinitely  great,  we  shall  not  be  surprised  that  we  cannot 
penetrate  its  leal  principles. 

Notwithstanding  this  imperfection  in  our  abilities,  we  have  no  rea- 
son to  complain  that  our  knowledge  of  nature  is  so  slight ;  we  have 
always  before  us  a  vast  field  of  improvement,  in  which  we  are  incited 
to  labour  by  every  thing  than  can  arouse  and  interest.  Om*  faculties 
are  so  formed,  that  by  cultivation  they  improve,  and  are  capable  of 
expanding  to  a  greater  degree  than  is  generally  supposed ;  we  are 
continually  adding  new  truths  to  former  experience,  and  as  we  pro- 
ceed we  discover  more  to  encourage  our  researches ;  and  the  more 
enlightened  we  become,  the  farther  we  penetrate  into  the  mysteries 
of  nature,  the  more  we  find  to  raise  our  ideas  of  the  glory,  the  power, 
and  the  goodness  of  the  Almighty  Creator.  May  we  always,  O  God ! 
be  favoured  with  the  light  of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  guide  us  on  our  way; 
to  enable  us  rightly  to  direct  that  knowledge  we  are  enabled  to  ac- 
quire, and  never  to  mistake  or  pervert  those  abilities  with  which  we 
have  been  blessed,  on  the  proper  or  improper  use  of  which  depends  our 
future  misery  or  felicity ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


99 


MARCH  XVIII. 

THE   UTILITY  OF  VEGETABLES. 

If  we  consider  the  great  number  and  diversified  appearance  of  ve- 
getables, we  shall  perceive,  as  in  every  thing  else,  the  beneficent  de- 
signs of  the  Creator.  What  other  end  could  he  have  in  view  in 
covering  the  earth  with  so  many  different  herbs,  plants,  and  fruits, 
than  the  advantage  and  felicity  of  his  creatures  ?  Such  is  the  num- 
ber and  variety  of  plants,  that  upwards  of  30,000  species  have  already 
been  enumerated  ;  and  every  day  more  are  added  to  the  list.  Their 
increase  seems  infinite  :  who,  for  example,  is  not  astonished  when  he 
is  told  that  one  single  grain  of  maize  (Indian  wheat)  produces  2000 
more  ;  that  one  poppy-seed  multiplies  itself  so,  that,  in  two  or  three 
years,  it  produces  sufficient  to  sow  a  large  field  1  Hence,  no  one  can 
doubt  the  care  of  Providence,  particularly  when  they  consider  the  use 
that  has  been  made  of  vegetables  from  the  earliest  ages. 

Do  not  fruits  and  vegetables  daily  furnish  us  with  the  most  salubri-- 
ous  and  nourishing  aliment  ?  And  are  we  not  indebted  to  the  vege- 
table kingdom  for  the  greater  part  of  our  clothing,  furniture,  and  ha- 
bitations ?  Every  part  of  a  plant  is  of  some  utility.  The  roots  afford 
us  food,  medicines,  pitch,  dyes,  and  various  utensils.  With  the  wood 
we  construct  our  buildings,  furniture,  and  different  instruments,  ma- 
chines, &c.  ;  it  likewise  serves  us  for  fuel,  and  from  it  we  procure 
charcoal  and  medicines.  The  bark  is  of  particular  use  in  tanning,  as 
well  as  in  the  cure  of  some  diseases.  The  ashes  are  useful  in  fer- 
tilizing and  ameliorating  the  soil,  bleaching  cloth,  and  making  salt- 
petre. The  resin  is  used  in  painting,  and  enters  into  the  composition 
of  pitch,  tar,  and  balsams.  Turpentine  is  used  as  a  medicament,  and 
colophonia  (hard  resin)  to  varnish,  to  solder,  and  to  rub  the  strings  of 
musical  instruments  ;  and  mastic  is  used  in  perfumes. 

Flowers,  delightful  both  for  their  beauty  and  fragrance,  are  very 
useful  in  medicines,  and  supply  the  bees  with  their  wax  and  honey. 
Fruits  are  singularly  beneficial  and  grateful,  whether  fresh  from  the 
trees,  boiled,  dried,  or  preserved.  But  it  is  not  man  alone  which 
receives  advantage  from  the  vegetable  kingdom ;  the  greater  part  of 
animals  derive  their  nourishment  from  that  source.  For  this  purpose 
we  find  fields  and  meadows  innumerable,  covered  with  every  variety 
of  plants  and  vegetables.  The  wants  of  every  individual  are  pro- 
vided for  ;  each  knows  the  kind  of  vegetables  most  suited  to  its 
nature  ;  and  no  one  can  number  the  blessings  afforded  by  this  king- 
dom, nor  find  expressions  to  celebrate  the  goodness  of  God. 


100 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MARCH  XIX. 

STRUCTURE  OF  THE  HUMAN  HEART. 

How  wonderfully  and  exquisitely  formed  is  that  muscular  body, 
situated  within  the  cavity  of  the  chest,  and  called  the  heart  ?  Its 
figure  is  somewhat  conical,  and  it  is  externally  divided  into  two  parts  : 
the  base,  which  is  uppermost,  and  attached  to  vessels  ;  and  the  apex, 
which  is  loose  and  pointing  to  the  left  side,  against  which  it  beats. 
Its  substance  is  muscular,  being  composed  of  fleshy  fibres,  interwoven 
with  each  other.  It  is  divided  internally  into  cavities,  called  auricles 
and  ventricles  ;  from  which  vessels  proceed  to  convey  the  blood  to 
the  different  parts  of  the  body.  The  ventricles  are  situated  in  the 
substance  of  the  heart,  and  are  separated  from  each  other  by  a  thick 
muscular  substance  ;  they  are  divided  into  right  and  left,  and  each 
communicates  with  its  adjoining  auricle,  one  of  which  is  situated  on 
each  side  the  base  of  the  heart.  The  right  auricle  receives  the  blood 
from  the  head  and  superior  parts  of  the  body,  by  means  of  a  large 
vein ;  and  in  the  same  manner  the  blood  is  returned  to  it  from  the  in- 
ferior parts,  by  all  the  veins  emptying  their  stores  into  one,  which  ter- 
minates in  this  cavity  ;  which,  having  received  a  sufficient  portion  of 
blood,  contracts,  and  by  this  motion  empties  itself  into  the  right  ven- 
tricle, which  also  contracting  propels  the  blood  into  an  artery,  which 
immediately  conveys  it  into  the  lungs,  where  it  undergoes  certain 
changes,  and  then  passes  through  veins  into  the  left  auricle  of  the 
heart,  thence  into  the  left  ventricle,  by  the  contraction  of  which  it  is 
forced  into  an  artery,  through  whose  ramifications  it  is  dispersed  to 
all  parts  of  the  body,  from  which  it  is  again  returned  to  the  right 
auricle  ;  thus  keeping  up  a  perpetual  circulation:  for,  whilst  life  re- 
mains, the  action  of  the  heart  never  ceases.  In  a  state  of  health  the 
heart  contracts  about  seventy  times  in  a  minute,  and  is  supposed  at 
each  contraction  to  propel  about  two  ounces  of  blood  ;  to  do  which, 
the  force  it  exerts  is  very  considerable,  though  neither  the  quantity  of 
force  exerted,  nor  of  blood  propelled,  is  accurately  determined. 

The  heart  comprises  within  itself  a  world  of  wonders  ;  and  whilst 
we  admire  its  admirable  structure  and  properties,  we  are  naturally 
led  to  consider  the  wisdom  and  power  of  Him  who  formed  it,  from 
whom  first  proceeded  the  circulation  of  the  blood  and  the  pulsation 
of  the  heart ;  who  commands  it  to  be  still,  and  all  the  functions  in- 
stantly cease  to  act :  in  God  alone  we  live,  move,  and  have  our 
being ;  and  may  Ave  never,  whilst  the  vital  stream  flows  through  our 
veins,  forget  his  goodness,  or  repay  his  love  with  ingratitude  ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


101 


MARCH  XX. 

THE  CHANGE  OF  SEASONS. 

The  coldest  as  well  as  the  warmest  climates  have  but  two  seasons 
in  the  year,  which  are  essentially  different.  In  the  coldest  countries 
the  summer  continues  about  four  months,  during  which  the  heat  is 
very  powerful ;  the  rest  of  their  year  may  be  considered  as  winter. 
Their  spring  and  autumn  are  scarcely  perceptible,  because  in  the 
space  of  only  a  few  days  an  excessive  heat  succeeds  the  greatest  de- 
gree of  cold,  and  the  extreme  of  heat  is  succeeded  as  rapidly  by  the 
extreme  of  cold.  The  hottest  countries  have  a  dry  and  scorching 
season  for  seven  or  eight  months  ;  when  the  rains  descend,  and  con- 
tinue four  or  five  months,  this  being  the  only  distinction  between 
their  summer  and  winter. 

It  is  only  in  temperate  climates  that  we  find  four  distinct  seasons 
of  the  year.  The  heat  of  summer  slowly  departs,  by  which  the 
fruits  of  autumn  are  rendered  mature,  without  suffering  from  the 
winter's  cold.  And  in  spring  plants  are  enabled  to  germinate,  unin- 
jured by  remaining  frosts,  and  not  hastened  into  premature  efflores- 
cence by  too  early  warmth.  In  Europe,  we  observe  these  seasons 
most  distinctly  in  Italy  and  the  south  of  France,  In  the  temperate 
regions  summer  and  winter  generally  commence  with  abundant 
rains,  which  continue  for  a  considerable  time.  From  the  middle  of 
May  to  the  latter  end  of  June  it  seldom  rains ;  but  after  this  time 
heavy  rains  sometimes  set  in,  and  continue  till  the  end  of  July.  The 
months  of  February  and  April  are  usually  very  variable. 

The  change  of  seasons  deserves  our  utmost  attention  and  admira- 
tion :  it  is  not  effected  by  blind  chance,  for  in  fortuitous  events  there 
is  neither  order,  constancy,  nor  regularity  ;  whereas  in  every  country 
of  the  earth  the  seasons  succeed  each  other  regularly  as  the  day  fol- 
lows the  night,  and  precisely  in  the  expected  time  the  aspect  of  the 
earth  changes.  We  see  it  successively  adorned  with  herbs  and 
leaves,  with  flowers  and  fruits  :  it  is  then  deprived  of  its  ornaments 
till  spring  returns  to  restore  them  with  increased  beauty.  Spring, 
summer,  and  autumn,  nourish  and  gi'atify  the  animal  creation  by 
the  fruits  which  blossom,  increase,  and  ripen  in  luxuriant  abundance. 
And  though  in  winter  nature  seems  to  droop  and  to  be  dead,  this  sea- 
son is  not  without  its  benefits. 

Now  that  this  month  is  so  far  advanced,  we  may  begin  to  hail  the 
near  approach  of  spring,  and  all  its  accompanying  pleasures,  with 
transport  and  delight.  How  many  are  there  who  have  longed  to  see 
this  restoration  of  nature,  and  hoped  to  be  recovered  from  the  suffer- 
ings they  endured  during  the  winter,  to  whom  this  consolation  has 
been  denied,  the  thread  of  their  lives  being  snapped  ere  the  vernal 
breezes  have  refreshed  the  earth  !  Perhaps  this  is  the  last  spring  we 
shall  be  permitted  to  see,  the  last  time  we  shall  enjoy  the  freshness  of 
the  morning  air,  breathing  the  sweets  of  the  opening  flowers.  Before 


102 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


the  return  of  the  equinox  we  may  be  mingled  with  the  dust,  inhabit- 
ants of  the  silent  tomb.  May  this  reflection  dispose  us  to  feel  the 
true  value  of  life,  and  teach  us  that  serenity  of  soul  and  Christian  for- 
titude, which  will  enable  us  to  receive  the  awful  messenger  without 
fear,  and  hear  the  summons  without  regret ! 


MARCH  XXI. 

EVERY  THING  CREATED  HAS  ITS  USE. 

If  there  is  a  superintending  Providence  which  governs  the  world, 
the  smallest  things  and  most  trifling  events  must  feel  its  influence, 
and  nothing  under  the  agency  of  his  Power  will  occur  without  some 
evident  utility.  Perhaps  it  will  be  said,  'What  a  number  of  things 
there  are  in  the  world  of  no  use  whatever !  The  north-wind  blows, 
and  the  blossoms  of  trees  are  scattered  ;  they  wither  and  are  useless. 
Seeds,  which  might  have  produced  new  plants,  perish  without  bring- 
ing forth  fruit.  Multitudes  of  insects  are  not  only  useless,  but  ex- 
tremely injurious  to  man,  beasts,  and  vegetables.  Many  men  and 
animals  scarcely  show  themselves  upon  the  earth,  when  they  disap- 
pear ;  others  are  born  monsters,  impotent,  and  deformed.  How  many 
faculties  and  talents  are  lost  for  want  of  being  called  forth  !  How 
many  noble  projects  and  bold  enterprises  miscarry  before  they  arrive 
at  maturity  !  Would  all  this  take  place,  if  a  Being  infinitely  wise 
and  provident  governed  the  universe  ]' 

But  have  you  who  thus  dare  to  doubt  the  being  and  providence  of 
God  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  things,  with  their  relations  and  depen- 
dencies amongst  each  other,  to  pronounce  5^our  decisions  with  cer- 
tainty, and  promulgate  such  sentiments  with  confidence ;  to  say, 
This  can  do  no  good,  that  is  absolutely  wrong,  or  of  no  use  1  Never 
forget  the  narrow  limits  of  your  knowledge,  nor  the  feeble  rays  of 
your  light.  It  is  your  duty  to  observe  in  silence  the  ways  of  God, 
and  to  admire  and  adore  him  in  those  works  ;  which  so  far  from  justly 
criticising,  you  are  not  able  to  comprehend :  all  those  which  you  do 
know  you  will  find  contain  proofs  of  infinite  wisdom,  and  are  of  a 
certain  and  manifest  utiUty.  A  thing  may  be  useful  in  diflferent  Avays, 
and  whilst  it  is  serving  one  purpose  we  cannot  expect  that  at  the 
same  time  it  should  serve  another.  The  insect,  which  at  its  birth 
becomes  the  prey  of  swallows,  cannot  produce  a  new  generation. 
The  researches  of  alchymists  for  the  philosopher's  stone  have  not,  it 
is  true,  made  gold  more  plentiful ;  but  through  their  means  many 
valuable  discoveries  have  been  made ;  and  the  insect  supplies  the 
swallow  with  its  food.  Your  tears  may  not  soften  the  callous  unfeel- 
ing man,  who  abuses  his  power  in  oppressing  the  weak  ;  but  though 
your  intercessions  in  favour  of  the  unfortunate  are  fruitless,  your 
tears  are  not  lost,  nor  shed  in  vain  :  they  tend  to  call  forth  the  finer 
feelings  of  the  heart,  and  increase  that  sensibility  which  is  the  source 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


103 


of  true  knowledge  and  virtue  ;  and  there  is  a  Being  who  hears  your 
sighs,  and  to  whom  all  your  efforts  on  behalf  of  suffering  humanity 
are  known,  and  received  as  the  most  grateful  incense. 

Never  let  us  suppose,  then,  that  there  exists  any  thing  in  the  uni- 
verse entirely  useless.  It  is  true  there  may  be  certain  things  which 
do  not  seem  to  succeed,  nor  answer  exactly  the  end  we  expected  them 
to  perform;  but  they  undoubtedly  fulfil  the  purpose  for  which  Provi- 
dence designed  them,  and  that  belief  is  sufficient  for  us.  For  certain 
things  to  take  effect  and  be  realized,  perhaps,  it  is  requisite  that 
others  should  fail  and  appear  defective.  If  it  is  true  that  wisdom  is 
not  entirely  engrossed  about  the  present,  but  extends  its  views  to  the 
future ;  if  God  is  infinitely  wise,  and  if  his  wisdom  is  to  be  manifest- 
ed to  the  world  as  in  a  mirror,  there  must  occur  many  things  which, 
separately  considered,  do  not  perfectly  appear  to  accomplish  their  des- 
tination, because  they  required  other  causes  to  co-operate  with  them. 
The  part  which  these  have  in  the  execution  of  the  whole  plan  may 
be  so  imperceptible  and  so  little  understood,  as  entirely  to  escape  our 
notice.  But  surely  it  does  not  follow,  that  because  we  cannot  per- 
ceive the  end  they  answer  in  the  great  system  of  nature,  they  do  not 
contribute  to  its  perfection,  and  are  therefore  useless  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, we  have  just  reason  to  conclude,  from  what  we  see  of  the  power 
and  wisdom  of  God  displayed  in  his  works,  that  it  is  impossible  for 
him  to  have  created  any  thing  without  design  or  without  utility  ; 
though,  from  our  imperfect  nature,  we  are  not  always  able  to  per- 
ceive the  object  and  use  of  some  of  his  works. 

This  firm  persuasion  will  contribute  to  our  peace  and  happiness  ; 
for  there  daily  occur  in  nature,  and  in  the  course  of  human  life, 
events,  whose  connexions,  relations,  and  designs,  appear  to  us  in- 
comprehensible, and  of  no  utility,  and  which  might  otherwise  weaken 
our  faith  in  God,  as  well  as  hurt  and  distress  our  feelings.  But  the 
more  we  are  convinced  by  reason,  observation,  and  experience,  and 
confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that  God,  as  he 
is  infinitely  wise  and  powerful,  so  also  he  is  infinitely  merciful  and 
just,  the  more  contented  and  cheerful  shall  we  be  in  adversity  as 
well  as  in  prosperity.  We  shall  then  see  and  acknowledge,  that  all 
that  God  effects,  or  permits  to  be  accomplished,  is  for  the  wisest  pur- 
poses, and  always  for  the  universal  good  of  mankind.  And  when  we 
observe  in  nature  so  many  trifling  objects,  apparently  useless,  and  so 
many  inexplicable  events,  seemingly  repugnant  to  the  divine  plan,  far 
from  finding  cause  to  complain,  let  us  rather  adore  the  wisdom  of 
God,  and  ascribe  unto  him  the  glory  which  is  his  due  ;  ever  trusting 
to  him  for  safety  and  support,  and  confiding  in  his  power  without  the 
folly  of  cavilling  at  his  dispensations.  This  submission  to  his  will  is 
the  way  to  happiness  here,  and  eternal  felicity  hereafter. 


104 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MARCH  XXII. 

HARMONY  BETWEEN  THE  MORAL  AND  PHYSICAL  WORLD. 

The  wisdom  of  God  has  established  so  great  an  affinity  between 
the  earth  and  its  inhabitants,  that  they  seem  to  be  formed  for  each 
other.  There  is  a  certain  connexion  and  harmony  which  Hnks  toge- 
ther all  the  works  of  the  creation.  There  is  an  evident  analogy  be- 
tween the  human  body  and  the  surface  of  the  earth  :  as  the  bodies 
of  plants  and  animals  are  formed,  and  come  to  maturity,  then  perish  : 
so  also  are  the  bodies  of  men  subject  to  similar  changes.  Such  is  the 
plan  of  the  Creator,  and  it  is  pregnant  with  w^isdom  and  goodness, 
adorned  with  perfection  and  beauty  ;  it  is  only  our  imperfect  know- 
ledge which  prevents  our  seeing  it  as  it  is. 

If  any  one  objects,  *  Why  then  has  not  God  given  to  every  one  the 
same  faculties  and  the  same  degree  of  intellect  V  we  may  answer — 
Who  art  thou,  blind  mortal,  that  callest  God  to  an  account  for  his 
works  ]  Shall  the  creature  dictate  to  his  Creator,  or  question  his 
powers  ?  As  well  might  w^e  ask.  Why  God  has  not  so  ordered,  that 
all  countries  on  the  earth,  that  every  field,  should  be  equally  pleasant 
and  fertile?  Why  do  we  find  in  some  parts  a  rich  and  fruitful  soil, 
whilst  others  are  so  sterile  and- desert,  that  all  attempts  to  improve 
them  are  in  vain  ]  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  diversity  is  highly 
beneficial,  and  worthy  of  our  warmest  admiration,  though  not  always 
conformable  to  our  mode  of  thinking.  The  most  desolate  and  barren 
regions,  as  well  as  the  most  wild  and  uncultivated  nations,  have  their 
beauty  and  use  in  the  eyes  of  God ;  all  hold  that  place  which  has 
been  assigned  them,  and  wiiich  is  best  adapted  to  their  nature,  in  the 
immensity  of  created  beings  ;  and  their  variety  serves  still  to  mani- 
fest the  wisdom  of  God,  which  is  infinitely  diversified. 

But  as  it  is  manifestly  the  intention  of  Providence  that  the  earth 
should  be  cultivated,  and  produce  fruits  in  abundance  for  the  preser- 
vation of  its  inhabitants  ;  and  as  for  this  end  he  has  given  us  corn  to 
sow  the  earth,  and  seeds  of  various  kinds  to  supply  food  and  nourish- 
ment ;  so  also  he  has  given  to  each  individual  a  mind,  which,  accord- 
ing as  it  is  cultivated,  will  bring  forth  fruit ;  it  possesses  all  the  capa- 
bilities of  virtue  and  of  happiness,  and  only  requires  the  seed  to  be 
sown  to  produce  a  harvest  rich  and  abundant.  With  this  view  he  has 
given  to  us  lessons  of  true  knowledge  and  religion,  which,  when 
received  in  a  mind  properly  disposed  and  regulated,  will  produce 
exquisite  fruit,  and  abundant  as  the  corn  planted  in  a  fruitful  field. 

There  are  vast  tracts  of  uncultivated  and  barren  lands,  where  no 
verdure  smiles,  nor  fruit  refreshes,  though  they  receive  the  fostering 
rays  of  Heaven  ;  so  also,  notwithstanding  the  general  diflfusion  of  the 
Gospel,  there  are  countries  which  still  remain  in  darkness,  and  there 
are  people  yet  besotted  by  ignorance  and  infidelity.  And  among  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  Christian  world  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  is 
often  very  slightly  felt ;  many  people  know  not  what  it  is,  do  not 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


105 


comprehend  it,  nor  have  any  idea  of  the  saving  power  and  sublime 
truths,  of  a  pure  and  holy  religion.  Others  receive  it  with  eagerness 
and  joy,  and  for  a  space  acknowledge  its  influence  ;  but  the  impres- 
sion is  not  lasting,  and  soon  becomes  obliterated.  Some  are  too  much 
agitated  by  the  passions  and  concerns  of  the  world  to  attend  to  the 
gentle  monitor  :  but  there  are  some  who  receive  the  Divine  word  with 
a  heart  pure  and  incorrupt ;  they  hear  its  dictates  with  pleasure,  and, 
by  following  them  with  perseverance,  become  of  the  happy  number 
of  the  wise  and  prudent,  whose  steps  are  marked  by  virtue,  sincerity, 
and  peace,  to  whom  it  is  indeed  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation. 


MARCH  XXIII. 

OF  THE  NATURE  AND  PROPERTIES  OF  AIR. 

Air  is  a  subtle  fluid,  which  surrounds  our  globe,  and  which  all  liv- 
ing creatures  respire.  Although  it  is  so  near  us,  every  where  sur- 
rounds us,  and  we  are  continually  experiencing  its  eflfects,  we  are  not 
yet  sufl[iciently  acquainted  with  it  to  precisely  determine  its  nature. 
We  know  that  it  is  a  substance,  for  when  we  pass  our  hand  rapidly 
through  it  we  find  resistance  ;  and  we  are  certain  that  it  is  fluid,  its 
particles  are  easily  displaced,  and  yield  to  all  kinds  of  impressions. 
Were  it  solid,  we  could  neither  inspire  it,  nor  move  in  it  with  facility. 
It  possesses  weight  in  common  with  other  bodies,  being  about  816 
times  lighter  than  water.*  The  force  with  which  the  air  weighs 
upon  every  square  foot  of  the  earth  is  equal  to  a  weight  of  2160 
pounds.  And  a  man,  whose  surface  is  about  fourteen  square  feet, 
sustains  a  weight  of  atmospheric  air  equal  to  30,240  pounds.  This 
may  appear  incredible  ;  but  the  resistance  of  the  air  contained  in  our 
lungs  prevents  our  suffering  any  inconvenience  from  the  pressure  of 
the  external  air,  an  equilibrium  being  thus  preserved. 

The  elasticity  of  the  air  is  equally  certain  ;  it  is  continually  making 
an  eflfort  to  fill  a  greater  space,  and,  though  capable  of  compression, 
as  soon  as  the  pressure  is  removed  it  again  expands.  This  is  suffi- 
ciently proved  by  means  of  heat,  which  rarifies  it  to  such  a  degree, 
that  it  may  be  made  to  occupy  five  or  six  hundred  times  more  space 
than  it  did  before  the  heat  was  applied,  without  losing  its  elastic  power. 
All  these  phenomena  are  highly  worthy  of  admiration,  and  in  them 
we  may  perceive  the  causes  of  many  astonishing  effects.  It  is  in  the 
air  that  our  globe  is  suspended ;  and  it  is  in  the  air  also  that  the 
clouds  are  collected,  forming  so  many  beautiful  shades  and  colours, 
and  which,  as  they  are  rarified  or  condensed,  suspend  the  vapours,  or 

*  Its  specific  gravity,  according  to  the  experiment  of  Sir  George  Shuckburgh,  when 
the  barometer  is  at  30  inches,  and  the  thermometer  between  50  and  60  degrees,  is 
0.0012.  One  hundred  cubic  inches  of  air  weigh  31  grains  troy. — Thompson's  Chsm 
mistry. 


106 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


permit  tlieii:j  to  descend  on  the  earth,  in  rain,  hail,  or  snow.  Without 
air,  hfe  cannot  be  supported,  nor  fire  and  water  exist. 

Thus,  then,  the  air  also  announces  the  grandeur,  power,  and  good- 
ness of  God,  whose  infinite  wisdom  alone  could  adapt  this  element  to 
so  many  and  various  purposes.  God  creates  and  governs  the  rain, 
the  snow,  the  winds,  the  thunder,  and  the  lightning;  he  measures 
the  quantity,  gravity,  elasticity,  and  motion  of  the  air,  and  mercifully 
causes  it  to  serve  our  necessities,  and  contribute  to  the  general  welfare 
of  our  globe.  Let  us,  then,  who  every  moment  breathe  this  air, 
which  supports  our  lives,  adore  the  depths  of  the  riches  of  His  mar- 
vellous wisdom  and  understanding,  who  alone  has  created  all  these 
things,  manifested  in  the  whole  economy  of  nature  with  infinite 
splendour ! 


MARCH  XXIV. 

NOTHING  NEW  UNDER  THE  SUN. 

With  respect  to  man,  no  doubt,  there  are  many  new  things  which 
take  place  in  the  earth  :  in  every  season  we  see  new  flowers  spring 
up,  new  fruits  ripen,  and  the  Avhole  face  of  nature  annually  changes. 
Every  day  is  productive  of  new  events  and  new  revolutions  ;  the  situ- 
ation of  objects  is  continually  changing,  or  they  present  themselves 
to  our  senses  under  different  forms.  It  is  only  relatively  to  the  limited 
extent  of  our  knowledge  and  understanding  that  there  is  any  thing 
new  under  the  sun  ;  and  in  this  light  nothing  is  more  true  than  the 
saying  of  Solomon,  "What  has  been  will  be,  and  what  has  been 
done  will  be  done,  and  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun."  God 
has  not  thought  fit  to  multiply  things  unnecessarily ;  there  is  every 
thing  which  can  satisfy  our  wants,  gratify  our  desires,  and  satiate 
our  curiosity.  Far  from  exhausting,  we  are  scarcely  able  to  acquire 
a  superficial  acquaintance  with  the  works  of  the  Creator  ;  our  senses 
are  not  sufficiently  acute  and  powerful  to  perceive  all  the  works  of 
nature,  and  our  understandings  are  too  weak  to  comprehend  them ;  so 
that  we  can  never  form  a  just  and  accurate  idea  of  the  creation,  nor 
of  every  created  being ;  hence  we  often  believe  many  things  are  new 
under  the  sun  which  are  only  new  to  ourselves.  As  the  empire  of 
nature  is  immense,  and  as  we  can  grasp  only  a  very  small  part  at  one 
view,  we  suppose  every  thing  we  see  for  the  first  time  to  be  new ;  be- 
cause in  every  part  of  the  world  there  is  an  infinite  variety  of  appear- 
ance, and  diversity  of  imagery. 

Nature  does  not  require  a  continued  and  endless  creation  ;  it  is 
sufficient  that  the  Supreme  Being  preserves  the  order  which  he  esta- 
blished in  the  beginning.  There  is  no  necessity  for  a  number  of 
springs  to  vary  the  works  already  produced  ;  for  they  succeed  each 
other,  and  return  in  regular  order,  and  yet  appear  so  infinitely  diver- 
siäed  as  to  seem  always  new.    The  impossibility  of  our  numbering  or 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


107 


conceiving  the  whole  extent  of  the  works  of  nature,  whilst  it  con- 
vinces us  of  the  weakness  of  our  capacity,  strongly  proves  the  exist- 
ence of  one  great  first  cause  of  all,  an  Almighty  God. 

But  are  there  not  many  recent  discoveries,  entirely  unknown  to  the 
ancients  ]  Are  we  not  now  familiar  with  phenomena  in  the  kingdom 
of  nature  of  which  we  formerly  had  no  idea  1  Most  of  these  disco- 
veries have  proceeded  rather  from  the  stimulus  of  want,  than  that  of 
arriving  at  truth.  As  our  wants  multiply,  new  means  are  necessary 
to  supply  them  ;  but  these  existed  long  before  we  knew  them.  Mi- 
nerals, vegetables,  and  animals,  that  have  lately  been  discovered, 
already  existed  in  the  earth,  or  upon  its  surface,  long  before  the  re- 
searches of  men  brought  them  to  light ;  and  many  that  we  imagine 
to  be  modern  discoveries  w^ere  very  probably  known  to  the  ancients. 

Were  the  world  (what  from  the  nature  of  things  is  impossible)  the 
work  of  chance,  the  same  fortuitous  agent  that  caused  its  first  exist- 
ence might  operate  to-day  as  well  as  then  ;  and  we  should  be  con- 
tinually witnessing  new  productions.  But  the  world  and  all  created 
things  being  formed  by  a  perfect  Being,  every  thing  that  is  made 
bears  the  stamp  and  broad  impression  of  an  all-powerful  God,  which 
established  the  foundation  of  the  earth  with  wisdom,  and  formed  in 
the  beginning  every  thing  that  was  essential  to  the  preservation  and 
well-being  of  the  whole  ;  so  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  a  new  cre- 
ation, or  new  laws,  but  all  moves  in  haraiony,  guided  by  eternal  sapi- 
ence. In  all,  and  through  all,  God  is  magnified  and  glorified  :  and 
to  him  is  due  eternal  honour  and  everlasting  praise. 


MARCH  XXV. 

OF  CAVES  FOUND  IN  MOUNTAINS. 

Caves  are  generally  found  in  mountains,  and  very  seldom  in  plains. 
They  are  frequently  caused  by  the  eruptions  of  volcanoes,  and  the 
explosions  of  earthquakes.  But  what  end  do  such  chasms  answer  1 
Though  we  could  discover  no  certain  end  in  their  existence,  we  may 
take  for  granted  that  they  are  not  formed  in  vain. 

However,  the  purposes  they  answer  are  often  evident ;  they  serve 
as  reservoirs  for  water,  which  may  be  had  recourse  to  upon  a  defi- 
ciency of  rain.  They  are  also  useful  for  the  freer  circulation  of  air 
through  the  earth,  by  more  readily  permitting  its  ingress  and  egress  ; 
and  thus  lessen  the  frequency  of  earthquakes.  They  sometimes  fill 
with  water,  and  form  lakes  ;  such  is  the  lake  Zirchnitzer,  in  Carniola, 
which  fills  in  June,  and  loses  its  w^aters  among  the  neighbouring 
mountains  in  September.  It  is  sometimes  navigable,  and  at  others 
so  dry,  that  the  inhabitants  may  plough,  sow,  reap,  and  hunt  in  it. 
Another  use  of  caves  is  the  shelter  and  retreat  which,  during  winter, 
they  oflfer  to  animals.  Hence  we  find  more  cause  to  admire  the  wis- 
dom and  bounty  of  God ;  and  the  deeper  our  researches  penetrate 


108 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


into  nature,  the  less  shall  we  find  of  useless  matter,  and  the  greater 
reason  we  shall  have  to  adore  the  sublimity  and  perfections  of  God  in 
his  works. 


MARCH  XXVI. 

CIRCULATION  OF  SAP  IN  TREES. 

The  trees,  which  during  several  months  appeared  entirely  dead» 
begin  gradually  to  revive,  and  in  the  space  of  a  few  weeks  will  give 
much  more  evident  signs  of  vitality ;  the  buds  will  sprout,  open,  and  the 
sweet  blossoms  expand.  Though  we  have  observed  this  revolution  at 
the  commencement  of  several  successive  springs,  we  have  perhaps 
been  ignorant  of  the  means  conducing  to  this  end.  The  effects  which 
we  perceive  in  spring  to  take  place  in  trees  and  other  vegetables  are 
caused  by  the  circulation  of  the  sap,  which  begins  to  move  in  the 
vessels  containing  it  when  acted  upon  by  a  milder  air  and  increase  of 
warmth.  As  the  life  of  animals  depends  upon  the  circulation  of  blood, 
so  does  the  life  and  growth  of  plants  depend  on  the  circulation  of  the 
Bap,  which  is  to  them  what  blood  is  to  animals.  To  effect  this,  nature 
has  formed  and  adapted  all  parts  of  vegetables  to  concur  in  the  prepa- 
ration, motion,  and  conservation,  of  this  nourishing  juice. 

It  is  principally  by  the  bark  that  the  sap,  in  the  spring,  begins  to 
ascend  from  the  roots  into  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  that  even  through- 
out the  year  life  and  nourishment  are  distributed  to  the  branches  and 
to  the  fruit  which  they  bear.  *  The  woody  part  of  the  tree  is  com- 
posed of  small  longitudinal  fibres,  extending  in  spiral  lines,  closely 
united  together,  from  the  roots  to  the  summit  of  the  trees.  Amongst 
these  fibres,  some  are  so  extremely  small  and  fine,  that  a  single  one, 
scarcely  as  large  as  a  hair,  contains  some  thousand  fibrillae.  There 
is  an  innumerable  multitude  of  little  tubes,  in  which  the  sap  circu- 
lates, extending  through  all  the  body  of  the  tree  to  the  remotest 
branches ;  some  conveying  it  from  the  root  to  the  summit,  and  others 
returning  it  back  again.  During  the  heat  of  the  day  the  sap  rises 
through  the  ascending  tubes,  and  returns  by  the  descending  ones  in 
the  cool  of  the  evening.  These  tubes  pass  through  the  leaves,  which 
are  also  supposed  to  answer  the  purpose  of  respiratory  organs,  and 
absorb  the  dew  and  moisture  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  sap  then  is  distributed  through  every  part  of  the  tree ;  its 
aqueous  part  evaporates  by  the  pores  of  the  vessels,  whilst  the  oily, 
sulphurous,  earthy,  and  saline  particles  blend  together,  to  nourish  the 

*  From  the  experiments  of  Coulomb  and  Knight,  it  would  appear,  that  the  sap  does 
not  ascend  through  the  bark,  but  through  the  wood  ;  and  it  is  well  known  that  a  plant 
continues  to  grow  even  when  stripped  of  a  great  part  of  the  bark,  which  would  not  be 
the  case  if  the  sap  ascended  through  the  bark  ;  and  those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  obtain- 
ing sap  from  trees  are  obliged  to  carry  their  incisions  deeper  than  the  bark,  or  they 
ere  unable  to  procure  any  sap. — E. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


109 


tree  and  promote  its  growth.  If  the  circulation  of  the  sap  is  checked, 
if  the  internal  organization  of  the  tree  is  destroyed,  either  by  a  very 
severe  frost,  or  by  old  age,  or  by  some  accident,  the  tree  will  die. 

After  such  reflections  as  these,  we  shall  no  longer  view  the  trees  at 
this  season  with  indifference,  nor  consider  the  change  they  are  about 
to  undergo  as  unworthy  of  our  attention.  Neither  shall  we  observe  the 
renovation  of  nature,  without  thinking  of  that  God  who  has  given 
life  to  all  creatures,  provided  the  trees  with  appropriate  juices,  given 
them  the  power  of  circulating  the  sap  in  vessels,  and  distributed  to 
them  life,  growth,  and  nutriment.  Yet  how  many  people,  year  after 
year,  unregarded  let  this  season  pass,  and  know  less  of  the  life  and 
beauty  of  spring,  displayed  in  plants  and  trees,  than  the  cattle  brows- 
ing on  the  plains.  If  ever  they  are  blessed  with  another  return  of 
this  season,  may  they  begin  to  feel,  and  love  to  enjoy,  the  beauties  of 
nature  ;  and  at  length  know,  that  the  infinite  Creator  is  near  to  us  in 
every  part  of  his  works,  and  that  each  of  his  creatures  proclaims  his 
greatness.  And  may  the  Lord  God,  in  his  infinite  mercy,  grant,  that 
whilst  all  nature  rejoicing  feels  the  reanimating  influence  of  spring,  we 
may  awaken  from  our  slumber,  and  walk  forth  to  enjoy  his  presence, 
our  hearts  softened,  and  our  minds  prepared  by  his  divine  influence  to 
know  and  to  glorify  his  holy  name. 


MARCH  XXVII. 

IGNORANCE  OF  FUTURITY. 

If  we  are  ignorant  of  future  events,  we  must  not  merely  trace  the 
cause  to  the  narrow  and  limited  faculties  of  the  soul  in  its  present 
state  of  existence,  but  we  must  go  farther,  till  we  arrive  at  the  Creator 
himself,  whose  will  and  pleasure  it  is  that  the  knowledge  of  futurity 
should  be  denied  us.  He  knew  the  strength  of  man,  and  the  extent 
of  knowlege  his  imperfect  nature  was  capable  of  bearing.  The 
knowledge  of  futurity,  like  the  splendour  of  the  noon-day  sun,  could 
not  be  steadily  contemplated  ;  it  would  be  fatal  to  the  happiness  of 
man,  and  dangerous  to  his  virtue. 

Supposing  that  the  future  events  of  our  life  marked  a  bright  and 
prosperous  tract ;  whilst  we  viewed  this  at  a  distance,  and  anticipated 
that  happiness  which  we  knew  certainly  awaited  us,  our  present 
enjoyment  would  cease,  we  should  no  longer  be  contented  and  cheer- 
ful, but  wait  with  impatient  anxiety  for  those  blessings  which  were 
held  up  to  our  view.  But,  on  the  contrary,  was  the  prospect  of  future 
contingencies  gloomy  and  marked  by  affliction  and  sufferings,  the 
moment  we  read  our  fate  our  happiness  would  cease  :  the  days  which 
hitherto  had  been  passed  in  peace  and  tranquillity  would  now  rise  in 
sorrow  and  depart  in  gloom.  With  a  known  evil  impending  over  our 
heads,  each  morning  bringing  us  nearer  to  the  dread  moment,  we 
should  live  in  hopeless  misery,  the  prey  of  sorrow  and  despair,  insen- 


no 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


sible  of  all  the  blessings  around  us.  How  infinitely  merciful  and 
wise  then  is  that  God  who  has  shrouded  futurity  in  darkness,  gradu- 
ally unfolding  the  veil  as  the  events  occur  ;  so  that  we  are  never  at 
once  overwhelmed  by  the  torrent  of  adversity,  nor  confounded  by  the 
blaze  of  certain  prosperity  ? 

Let  us  then  never  suffer  ourselves  to  be  disappointed  by  the  delu- 
sive hopes  of  happiness,  nor  be  rendered  miserable  and  wretched  by 
feeling  the  weight  of  misfortunes  before  they  arrive.  Let  us  rather 
thank  the  Almighty  that  our  ignorance  of  futurity  saves  us  from  many 
a  pang  of  inquietude,  and  delivers  us  from  many  a  throb  of  anxious 
dread  and  fearful  despondency.  If  we  feel  assured  of  the  grace  of 
God  through  the  mediation  of  Christ,  we  have  just  reason  to  hope  that 
futurity  will  unfold  to  us  with  joy  and  gladness  ;  and  as  there  is  a  just 
and  gracious  God,  who  orders  and  directs  the  universe,  who  knows  all 
the  events  of  our  lives,  and  before  whose  view  is  continually  present 
the  circle  of  eternity ;  we  may  with  safety,  when  we  lie  down  to 
sleep,  commend  ourselves  to  his  care,  undisturbed  as  to  what  may 
happen  during  the  night ;  and  when  the  morning  sun  summons  us 
to  our  duties  we  may  trust  ourselves  to  his  protection,  without  anxiety 
for  the  events  which  are  to  befall  us  during  the  day.  And  in  the 
hour  of  trial,  when  dangers  threaten  and  destruction  seems  to  impend, 
let  us  still  remember  the  goodness  of  God,  and  repose  upon  his  protect- 
ing arm,  in  perfect  assurance  that  whatever  happens  is  for  our  good. 


MARCH  XXVIIL 

GRADUAL  APPROACH  OF  NIGHT. 

Night  is  a  blessing  bestowed  upon  us  by  the  Creator,  and  is  wisely 
and  mercifully  directed  to  advance  by  degrees.  The  sudden  transi- 
tion from  the  light  of  day  to  the  gloom  of  night  would  be  highly 
inconvenient  and  terrific.  So  immediate  a  change  would  occasion  a 
general  interruption  to  the  labours  of  men,  and  terror  would  be  spread 
over  the  earth  ;  all  living  creatures  would  feel  its  influence,  and  the 
organs  of  sight  must  suffer  considerably  by  the  suddenness  of  the 
transition.  Hence  it  is  wisely  ordered,  that  darkness  does  not  surprise 
us  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  our  occupations,  but  advances  by  slow 
gradations,  and  the  twilight  which  precedes  it  leaves  us  time  to  finish 
our  most  pressing  affairs,  and  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements. 
By  this  timely  warning,  the  approach  of  night  does  not  interrupt  or 
incommode  us. 

But  whence  proceeds  that  lingering  light,  which  at  the  end  of  each 
day  remains  to  temper  and  soften  the  gloomy  aspect  of  night  ]  We 
no  longer  see  the  sun,  and  yet  a  degree  of  lustre  still  cheers  us.  The 
atmosphere  which  surrounds  us  refracts  the  rays  of  the  sun,  projected 
on  its  superior  surface,  and  it  continues  to  receive  these  rays  after  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Ill 


earth  by  its  rotation  has  withdrawn  our  sight  from  the  sun ;  by  which 
means  we  enjoy  the  hght  much  longer. 

Thus  a  bountiful  Providence  has  not  only  regulated  the  greater 
revolutions  of  the  seasons,  but  also  the  daily  alternation  of  light  and 
darkness  in  that  way  which  is  most  beneficial  to  us,  and  which 
demands  our  most  heartfelt  acknowledgments  and  thanksgivings. 
Let  this  gradual  approach  of  night  remind  us  of  the  evening  of  life, 
which  advances  by  slow  and  certain  degrees,  till  almost  impercepti- 
bly the  hand  of  death  lies  heavily  upon  us.  May  the  Almighty  grant, 
when  the  period  arrives  which  is  to  close  our  eyes  in  darkness,  that  as 
the  measure  of  our  days  is  full,  so  also  may  the  measure  of  our  good 
works  be  completed  !  Let  us  work  whilst  it  is  day,  for  the  night  Com- 
eth, in  which  no  man  can  work. 


MARCH  XXIX. 

MAGNIFICENCE  OF  GOD  DISPLAYED  IN  HIS  WORKS. 

Why  are  all  the  works  of  God  so  beautiful  and  magnificent  1  Why 
do  we  every  where  discover  various  and  innumerable  objects,  each 
clothed  in  pecuHar  charms,  and  outvying  all  the  rest  in  beauty  1 
Whence  is  it  that  we  every  where  find  new  subjects  of  astonishment 
and  admiration  ?  Doubtless  that  we  may  be  led  unceasingly  to  ad- 
mire and  to  adore  that  Being,  who  is  so  infinitely  more  beautiful,  sub- 
lime, and  glorious,  than  all  that  we  can  discover  or  delight  in  through- 
out nature.  We  cannot  help  saying.  If  the  works  are  so  admirable, 
what  must  be  the  Creator  of  them  !  If  the, beauty  of  the  creatures 
is  so  excellent,  how  inexpressible  must  be  the  grandeur  and  nature  of 
the  Being  who  formed  them,  and  who  sees  the  whole  creation  at  a 
single  glance  ! 

If  the  meridian  sun  has  splendour,  the  blaze  of  which  dazzles  and 
confounds  our  sight,  we  may  well  suppose,  that  He  who  first  impart- 
ed life  and  being  to  this  luminary,  dwells  in  light  inaccessible,  utterly 
removed  from  the  penetration  of  finite  mortals.  We  cannot  suppose 
he  is  less  wonderful  than  the  creatures  he  has  formed  ;  and  the  more 
striking  and  marvellous  are  his  works,  the  more  he  must  excite  our 
astonishment  and  call  forth  our  admiration  :  could  we  comprehend  at 
once  the  totality  of  his  grandeur,  he  would  cease  to  be  God,  or  we  to 
be  men. 

There  is  no  better  way  then  of  enlarging  our  views,  or  gaining  a 
richer  treasure  of  ideas  and  more  ample  intelligence,  than  in  contem- 
plating God,  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  whose  works  are  be- 
yond the  limits  of  comprehension.  By  such  contemplations  all  the 
faculties  of  the  soul  acquire  strength  and  vigour,  and  our  capability 
of  enjoying  happiness,  both  here  and  hereafter,  becomes  abundantly 
increased  ;  for  the  more  the  capacity  of  our  minds  is  enlarged  here 
by  contemplating  the  Supreme  Being,  the  more  ennobled  and  exalted 


112 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


will  it  be,  and  the  greater  will  be  its  power  of  comprehension  and  of 
enjoyment  in  futurity.  Let  us  then  divide  our  attention  between  God 
and  nature,  w^hich  last  reflects  as  from  a  glass  the  image  of  that 
Eternal  Being  whose  presence  we  only  see  from  the  eflfects  produced. 
We  may  collect  the  various  beauties  and  perfections  dispersed  through 
the  creation,  and  when  their  innumerable  multitudes  have  struck  us 
with  astonishment  and  admiration,  we  may  think  how  little  and  in- 
significant are  all  these  compared  with  the  perfection  of  the  Creator ; 
no  more  than  a  drop  of  water  to  the  ocean. 

Let  us  regard  the  most  lovely  and  beautiful  of  created  beings,  ab- 
stracting what  is  finite  and  limited,  that  we  may  have  more  just  and 
exalted  ideas  of  the  infinite  excellence  of  the  Creator  ;  and  when 
the  sight  of  faults  and  imperfections  in  the  creatures  shall  tend  to 
lessen  our  admiration  of  their  beauty,  let  us  exclaim — If  the  creation, 
notwithstanding  all  its  defects,  be  so  beautiful  and  grand,  how  great 
and  wonderful  must  He  be  whose  splendour,  ever  unobscured,  is 
purer  than  light,  and  more  brilliant  than  the  sun  !  Let  us  then  em- 
ploy all  our  faculties  in  contemplating  the  all-adorable  God  ;  and  not 
rest  till  we  have  taken  our  flight  to  the  regions  of  perfection,  where 
the  most  perfect  of  beings  reigns  in  undisturbed  felicity.  Let  our  prin- 
cipal study  be  to  learn  to  know  God  ;  for  there  is  nothing  so  great  as 
he  is,  and  the  knowledge  of  him  alone  will  satisfy  our  desires,  and 
diffuse  through  our  hearts  peace  and  joy,  which  nothing  can  molest 
or  destroy  ;  and  it  is  in  some  degree  a  foretaste  of  that  more  perfect 
knowledge  which  shall  constitute  our  felicity,  and  be  our  constant 
reward  through  eternity. 


MARCH  XXX. 

ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE   SEASONS   IN  DIFFERENT  PLANETS. 

The  diurnal  rotation  of  the  earth  round  its  axis,  and  its  annual 
revolution  round  the  sun,  afford  us  the  greatest  advantages  ;  which 
would  induce  us  to  suppose  that  the  other  planets  enjoy  similar  bless- 
ings. All  of  them,  except  Mercury,  have  been  observed  to  turn 
round  their  axes  in  different  spaces  of  time ;  and  most  probably  he  is 
subject  to  the  same  general  law,  though  his  precise  motion  has  not 
yet  been  determined.  All  the  planets  move  in  their  orbits  round  the 
sun,  and  even  the  secondary  planets  make  a  similar  revolution  round 
their  primaries.  And  as  the  diurnal  rotation  of  our  earth  effects  the 
constant  vicissitudes  of  day  and  night,  and  its  annual  revolution  the 
change  of  seasons,  we  have  just  reason  to  conclude  that  similar 
changes  take  place  in  the  other  planets. 

Venus  turns  round  her  axis  in  little  more  than  23  hours  ;  Mars  in 
24  hours  39  minutes  ;  Jupiter  in  9  hours  56  minutes  ;  the  moon  in 
about  28  days.  If  we  were  to  divide  the  day,  that  is,  the  time  in 
which  these  revolutions  are  made,  into  twenty -four  equal  parts,  each 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


113 


of  which  shall  be  called  an  hour,  the  hours  of  Venus  will  be  a  little 
less,  those  of  Mars  rather  greater,  and  those  of  Jupiter  not  half  so 
long  as  the  days  in  our  planet ;  whilst  those  of  the  moon  will  each 
be  more  than  equal  to  one  of  our  days.  We  may  also  observe  that 
the  axis  of  each  planet  is  inclined  like  that  of  our  earth  ;  whence  it 
follows,  that  during  their  revolutions  round  the  sun,  their  north  pole 
is  sometimes  more,  sometimes  less,  enlightened.  It  is  then  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  they  experience  a  change  of  seasons  as  well  as 
the  alternation  of  long  and  short  days. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  asked,  *  Why  all  these  reflections  V  They  would 
be  useful,  if  only  to  extend  our  knowledge  ;  but  they  will  be  still 
more  important,  if  we  think  of  the  consequences  which  must  result 
from  them.  Shall  we  not  have  reason  to  conclude,  that  other  planeta 
besides  our  own  are  inhabited  by  living  creatures  1  All  the  planets 
resemble  our  earth  ;  like  it  enjoy  the  light  and  genial  warmth  of  the 
sun,  have  the  alternation  of  night  and  day,  and  the  succession  of 
summer  and  winter  :  but  what  end  would  all  these  phenomena  an- 
swer unless  the  planets  were  inhabited  ]  Considering  them  as  so 
many  peopled  worlds,  what  a  sublime  idea  we  conceive  of  the  gran- 
deur of  God,  and  the  extent  of  his  empire  !  How  impossible  to  fa- 
thom his  bounty,  or  penetrate  the  limits  of  his  power  !  His  glory, 
reflected  from  so  many  worlds,  fills  us  with  amaze,  and  calls  forth 
every  sentiment  of  awe,  veneration,  and  gratitude.  Supposing  that 
his  praise  is  celebrated  in  all  the  worlds  which  roll  above  and  around 
us,  let  us  not  be  surpassed  in  our  adoration,  but  in  holy  emulation 
mingle  our  hymns  with  those  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  numerous 
worlds,  and  celebrate  the  Lord  God  of  the  universe  with  eternal 
thanksgivings ! 


MARCH  XXXL 

CARE  OF  PROVIDENCE  FOR  THE  PRESERVATION  OF  HIS  CREATURES, 
EXPERIENCED  IN  EVERY  COUNTRY  OF  THE  WORLD. 

By  this  time  we  have  become  acquainted  with  the  greatest  part  of 
the  earth ;  and  new  regions  have,  from  time  to  time,  been  discovered ; 
yet  no  place  has  been  found  where  nature  does  not  produce  the  ne- 
cessaries of  life.  We  hear  of  countries  where  the  scorching  rays  of 
the  sun  have  destroyed  all  verdure,  and  where  the  eye  sees  little  but 
mountains  and  vast  plains  of  sand  :  and  there  are  countries  which 
seldom  experience  the  light  of  the  sun,  or  feel  the  grateful  warmth 
of  his  rays  ;  where  a  winter,  almost  perpetual,  torpifies,  and  where 
DO  culture  calls  to  cheerful  employment,  nor  fruits  or  harvest  are  ever 
seen.  Yet  in  these  both  men  and  animals  exist,  without  any  want  of 
nourishment :  the  productions  that  nature  has  denied  them,  because 
they  would  be  either  parched  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  or  destroyed  by 
extreme  cold,  are  supplied  by  gifts  adapted  to  the  nature  of  the  cli- 


114 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


mate,  and  suitable  for  the  nourishment  of  the  Inhabitants  ;  who  col- 
lect with  care  what  nature  presents  to  them,  and  know  how  to  appro- 
priate it,  so  as  to  obtain  all  that  is  necessary  to  their  subsistence,  or 
essential  to  their  convenience. 

In  Lapland,  the  providence  of  God  has  so  ordered,  that  what  at 
first  seems  to  be  an  evil,  and  certainly  is  very  troublesome  to  the  peo- 
ple, is  the  means  of  their  support.  The  Laplanders  are  infested  with 
innumerable  multitudes  of  flies,  furnished  with  stings,  from  which 
they  defend  themselves  by  raising  in  their  huts  a  continual  thick 
smoke,  and  besmearing  their  faces  with  pitch.  These  insects  depo- 
sit their  eggs  on  the  water,  which  attract  a  great  number  of  water- 
fowl that  feed  on  them,  and,  being  taken  by  the  Laplanders,  become 
their  principal  source  of  nourishment.  The  Greenlanders  generally 
prefer  animal  to  vegetable  food,  and  very  few  vegetables  grow  in  these 
sterile  countries.  There  are,  however,  some  plants,  of  which  the  in- 
habitants make  great  use,  particularly  sorrel,  angelica,  and  scurvy- 
grass  (cochlearia.)  Their  principal  nutriment  is  a  species  of  fish 
called  augmarset,  much  resembhng  the  kind  known  by  the  name  of 
miller's  thumb.  When  they  have  dried  these  upon  the  rocks,  they 
constantly  use  them  instead  of  bread,  and  preserve  them  for  the  win- 
ter in  large  sacks  of  leather,  or  wrapped  in  old  garments.  In  Ice- 
land, where  also,  because  of  the  intense  cold,  there  is  no  agriculture, 
the  people  eat  dried  fish  instead  of  bread.  The  Dalecarlians,  who 
inhabit  the  northern  parts  of  Sweden,  having  no  corn,  make  their 
bread  of  the  bark  of  the  pine  and  birch,  and  a  certain  root  which 
grows  in  the  marshes.  The  inhabitants  of  Kamschatka  feed  on  the 
stem  of  the  acanthus,  which  they  first  peel  and  then  eat  raw.  The 
natives  of  Siberia  make  use  of  the  roots  of  a  species  of  lily,  which 
they  call  martagon. 

Adorable  Father  of  mankind  !  how  tender  and  merciful  are  thy 
cares  for  our  preservation  !  With  what  goodness  thou  hast  distributed 
to  every  part  of  the  earth  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  subsistence  of 
thy  creatures  !  Thy  wisdom  knew,  before  the  foundation  of  the  \vorld, 
the  dangers  to  which  the  life  of  man  must  be  continually  exposed, 
and  ordained  that  he  should  every  where  be  supported.  Such  rela- 
tions, connexions,  intercourse,  and  communications,  are  established 
amongst  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  that  people  separated  by  the 
most  distant  seas  labour  for  the  convenience  and  support  of  each 
other. 

We  have  likewise  abundant  cause  to  be  thankful  that  we  are  so 
constituted  as  not  to  be  limited  to  any  particular  kind  of  food,  but  are 
capable  of  using  every  species  of  aliment.  And  let  us  adore  the  inex- 
pressible goodness  of  God,  who  has  permitted  us  to  receive  his  all- 
sustaining  word  ;  for  which,  and  the  various  blessings  and  abundant 
means  of  subsistence  with  which  his  liberal  hand  has  supplied  us,  let 
us  offer  up  praise  and  thanksgiving  with  our  latest  breath,  and  for 
ever  rejoice  in  his  holy  name  ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


115 


APRIL  I. 

HYMN  FOR   THE   COMMENCEMENT   OF  SPRING. 

Praise  ye  the  Lord,  who  has  created  the  spring,  who  has  adorned 
the  face  of  the  earth  !  To  him  belongeth  all  glory,  honour,  and  power; 
for  he  maketh  the  beings  which  he  has  formed  happy.  The  Lord 
has  created,  has  preserved,  and  still  loves  and  blesses,  this  world,  the 
work  of  his  hands:  celebrate  him  all  ye  creatures  ! 

In  those  days  of  felicity  when  man  had  not  yet  rebelled  against  his 
Maker,  free  from  the  pollutions  of  sin  and  its  consequences,  the  earth 
resembled  a  paradise.  Even  now,  though  deformed  by  sin,  and  the 
reward  of  sin,  we  still  see  the  hand  of  the  divine  Author,  and  the 
earth  is  still  the  entrance  to  Heaven. 

The  fields,  which  have  so  long  seemed  dead,  begin  to  revive  and 
bloom ;  every  day  produces  new  blessings,  and  all  created  beings 
rejoice  in  their  existence.  The  face  of  the  earth  is  renewed  ;  the  sky 
is  pure  and  serene  ;  the  mountains,  the  valleys,  and  the  groves, 
resound  with  melody  :  and  the  Lord  of  the  creation  regards  with  an 
eye  of  mercy  all  his  works. 

But  the  fields  are  destitute  of  intelligence,  and  the  irrational  part 
of  the  creation  know  not  the  Being  which  formed  them  ;  man  alone 
rejoices  in  his  God,  experiences  his  existence,  and  aspires  to  live  for 
ever  in  his  presence. 

Let  us  celebrate  the  God  of  nature  ;  he  is  nigh  unto  us:  let  all  his 
hosts  praise  him  !  He  is  present  every  where  ;  in  heaven,  on  earth, 
and  in  the  seas.  Let  us  for  ever  glorify  him  and  sing  his  praises  ;  for 
wherever  we  are,  there  also  He  is,  ever  near  us  by  his  power,  his  love, 
and  his  bounty  ! 

The  Lord  commandeth  the  clouds  to  extend  themselves  over  the 
fields  ;  he  watereth  the  thirsty  land,  that  man  may  be  enriched  by  his 
gifts.  He  commandeth  the  hail,  the  winds,  and  the  dew,  to  become 
sources  of  happiness  to  mankind. 

Even  when  the  tempest  rises,  and  the  thunder  peals  terror  through 
the  heart  of  man,  fertility  and  blessedness  spring  forth  out  of  the 
bosom  of  storms  and  darkness.  The  light  of  the  sun  returns  with 
increased  splendour,  and  songs  of  joy  and  harmony  succeed  the  roar- 
ing of  the  thunder. 

It  is  in  the  Lord  alone  we  find  true  happiness ;  in  Him  who  is  the 
Author  of  all  good,  who  enables  us  to  derive  salvation  from  the  eternal 
springs  of  light  and  truth.  And  blessed  is  the  mortal  who  submits  to 
his  government  with  resignation,  and  who  is  prepared  to  leave  this 
world,  in  the  joyful  hope  of  being  united  to  his  Father  ^nd  Creator  by 
the  redeeming  power  of  Jesus  Christ ! 


116 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


APRIL  I. 

ABUSE  OF  ANIMALS. 

Men  abuse  animals  in  so  many  different  ways,  that  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  enumerate  all  of  them  ;  and  for  the  sake  of  perspicuity,  I  shall 
at  present  comprehend  them  in  two  classes.  They  are  generally  too 
much  or  too  little  valued  ;  and  in  either  case  we  act  with  impropriety. 
On  the  one  hand,  we  have  too  little  regard  for  the  brute  creation, 
when,  presuming  upon  the  authority  God  has  given  us  over  them,  we 
exercise  that  power  with  arrogance  and  caprice.  But  allowing  that 
we  possessed  this  absolute  dominion  over  them,  is  it  just  that  we 
should  exert  our  right  with  cruelty  and  tyranny  ?  All  who  are  not 
the  slaves  of  passion,  and  are  not  corrupted  by  vicious  habits,  are 
naturally  inchned  to  have  compassion  for  every  being  that  has  life 
and  feeling.  This  disposition  does  honour  to  human  nature,  and  is 
so  deeply  implanted  in  our  hearts,  that  he  who  has  imfortunately 
stifled  it  is  regarded  with  aversion,  and  shows  how  much  he  has  fallen 
beneath  the  dignity  of  man.  He  will  then  have  to  make  but  one 
more  step  to  become  a  monster  ;  which  is,  to  deny  to  men  the  com- 
passion he  refuses  to  brutes. 

Experience  justifies  me  in  this  assertion,  and  my  readers  will  recol- 
lect examples  enough  of  this  species  of  ferocity.  History  furnishes 
us  with  many :  we  there  find  that  the  people  who  dehghted  in  the 
combats  of  animals  were  remarkable  for  their  cruelty  towards  their 
fellow-creatures,  so  true  is  it  that  our  treatment  of  animals  has  an 
influence  upon  our  moral  character,  as  well  as  upon  the  mildness 
of  our  manners.  Though  it  may  be  urged  we  have  the  right  of  de- 
stroying hurtful  animals,  will  it  follow  that  we  have  a  right  to  tear 
from  them,  without  compassion  or  remorse,  that  life  which  is  so  dear 
to  all  creatures  ?  or,  when  necessity  obliges  us  to  take  such  a  step,  are 
we  justified  in  taking  a  pleasure  and  barbarous  joy  in  their  sufferings  ; 
and,  in  depriving  them  of  life,  making  them  suffer  a  thousand  tortures 
more  cruel  than  death  itself?  I  grant  that  the  Creator  has  given  us 
animals  to  serve  our  necessities,  to  conduce  to  our  comforts  and 
pleasures,  and  to  relieve  our  toil  by  their  labour ;  but  it  does  not 
thence  follow  that  we  are  to  fatigue  them  unnecessarily,  or  to  make 
them  labour  beyond  their  strength,  refuse  them  that  subsistence  which 
is  their  due,  or  increase  their  sufferings  by  hard  treatment. 

This  is  sufficient  to  show  the  nature  of  the  first  species  of  abuse  ; 
but  some  people  fall  into  the  opposite  extreme.  Those  animals  of  a 
social  nature  which  are  most  connected  with  us,  which  live  in  our 
houses,  and  are  continually  in  our  presence,  which  amuse  and  contri- 
bute to  our  diversion  or  utility,  sometimes  inspire  us  with  a  ridiculous 
and  extravagant  affection.  I  am  grieved  to  say  that  there  are  both 
men  and  women  so  absurd  as  to  love  their  domestic  animals  to  such 
an  extravagant  degree,  as  to  sacrifice  to  them  those  essential  duties 
which  thev  owe  to  their  fellow-creatures.    War  may  send  its  plagues 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


117 


through  nations,  and  whole  armies  destroy  each  other,  without  mak- 
ing any  impression  upon  the  lady  who,  some  days  after,  is  inconsola- 
ble for  the  loss  of  her  lap-dog.  Much  more  might  be  said  upon  this 
subject ;  however,  I  will  not  weary  my  readers  with  such  absurdities, 
but  conclude  this  meditation  with  a  very  important  remark.  Parents, 
and  those  who  are  entrusted  with  the  care  and  education  of  children, 
in  their  presence  cannot  too  scrupulously  avoid  every  abuse  of  ani- 
mals. It  is  the  more  necessary  to  insist  upon  this,  because  the  practice 
of  it  is  very  often  neglected,  and  the  children,  influenced  by  such 
pernicious  examples,  often  imbibe  the  worst  of  passions.  No  animal 
should  be  put  to  death  in  their  presence  ;  much  less  should  they  be 
commissioned  to  perform  a  task  of  such  cruelty.  Let  them  always 
be  accustomed  to  treat  animals  as  beings  which  have  life  and  feeling, 
and  towards  which  they  have  certain  duties  to  observe.  Whilst  we 
thus  prevent  their  feelings  from  becoming  brutified,  let  us  guard 
against  their  being  too  much  attached  to  animals,  to  which  they  are 
very  often  much  inclined  ;  but  let  us  teach  our  children  the  right 
method  of  behaviour  to  this  part  of  the  creation,  that  they  may,  from 
their  earliest  infancy,  be  accustomed  to  acknowledge,  even  in  these 
creatures,  the  visible  impression  of  the  Divine  Perfections. 


APRIL  II. 

MOTION  OF  THE  EARTH. 

When  the  delightful  spectacle  of  the  rising  sun  renews  each  morn- 
ing in  our  souls  the  gratitude  and  admiration  which  w^e  owe  to  the 
sublime  Author  of  the  universe,  we  may  at  the  same  time  observe 
that  the  situation  of  this  magnificent  view  changes  with  the  seasons. 
Thus,  if  we  mark  the  place  where  the  sun  rises  in  spring  and  in  au- 
tumn, we  shall  find  in  summer  it  is  more  to  the  north,  and  in  winter 
more  to  the  south.  It  is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  some  motion 
must  occasion  these  changes  ;  and  many  naturally  suppose  it  is  the 
sun  which  moves,  and  thus  occasions  us  to  see  it  sometimes  on  one 
side,  sometimes  on  the  other.  But  as  the  same  phenomena  would 
take  place  though  the  sun  were  to  remain  immoveable  and  the  earth 
to  turn  round  it,  and  that  we  neither  perceived  the  motion  of  the  sun 
nor  that  of  the  earth,  we  ought  to  give  less  weight  to  our  own  vague 
conjectures  than  to  the  repeated  observations  that  astronomers  have 
made  in  the  heavens;  which  sufficiently  prove  that  the  rotatory  motion 
of  the  earth  alone  effects  the  changes  we  remark  in  the  situation  of 
the  sun. 

In  the  first  place,  let  us  represent  to  ourselves  the  immense  space  in 
which  the  heavenly  bodies  are  placed  :  it  is  either  empty,  or  contains 
a  very  subtile  fluid,  called  ether,  in  which  this  globe,  and  all  the  pla- 
nets composing  the  solar  system,  move  in  their  different  orbits  ;  in  the 
centre  of  which  shines  most  conspicuously  the  sun,  of  whose  gran- 


118 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


deur  above  all  the  planetary  system  we^,  have  spoken  in  a  preceding 
discourse.  The  gravity  which  our  globe  has  in  common  witli  all 
other  bodiesdirects  it  towards  the  centre,  or  the  sun  attracts  the  earth 
by  the  superior  force  which  greater  bodies  possess  oversmaller,  and  by 
which  the  latter  are  attracted  ;  so  that,  as  the  earth  tends  to  fly  off 
from  the  sun,  it  is  counteracted  by  the  superior  attraction  of  that  lumi- 
nary :  by  this  means  the  earth  is  made  to  describe  a  circle  round  the 
sun,  somewhat  analogous  to  the  curve  described  by  a  cannon-ball  ; 
which,  though  it  soon  falls  to  the  earth,  yet  might  prolong  its  course 
for  the  space  of  some  miles,  if  it  had  been  projected  from  the  top  of  a 
high  mountain.  Suppose  the  elevation  were  still  greater,  it  would  fly 
proportionably  farther  ;  continue  adding  to  this  imaginary  height, 
and  it  would  go  as  far  as  our  Antipodes,  in  order  to  return  to  the 
point  whence  it  set  out. 

All  these  eflfects  take  place  from  the  laws  of  gravitation,  or  the 
attractive  force  of  our  globe  ;  and  in  this  manner  is  caused  the  revo- 
lution of  the  earth  round  the  sun.  The  orbit  it  describes  is  not, 
however,  entirely  circular,  but  an  ellipsis,  in  one  focus  of  which  the 
sun  is  placed,  by  which  arrangement  we  are  farther  from  that  star  at 
one  period  than  at  another.  This  orbit  is  44,000  semi-diameters  of 
our  earth  ;  and  to  make  its  revolution  round  the  sun,  the  earth  em- 
ploys 365  days,  5  hours,  48  minutes,  and  43  seconds,  being  the  space 
of  time  which  completes  our  year,  after  which  revolution  we  find  the 
sun  in  the  same  part  of  the  firmament :  for  in  every  part  of  the  earth's 
orbit  we  see  the  sun  in  the  opposite  side  of  the  heavens,  so  that  though 
the  earth  is  continually  moving,  we  imagine  it  is  the  sun  which  is  in 
motion.  In  spring,  the  sun  being  equally  distant  from  the  two  poles, 
causes  the  equality  of  day  and  night.  In  summer,  it  is  twenty-three 
degrees  thirty  minutes  nearer  the  north,  which  occasions  the  greatest 
length  of  our  days ;  in  autumn,  it  returns  to  an  equal  distance  be- 
tween the  poles ;  and  in  winter  it  is  as  far  towards  the  south  as  in 
summer  it  was  towards  the  north,  thus  occasioning  our  shortest  days. 

Such  being  the  order  and  the  arrangement  of  the  great  works  of 
the  creation,  we  have  yet  additional  cause  to  admire  and  adore  the 
wisdom  and  supreme  goodness  of  the  Creator.  Each  new  intelli- 
gence that  we  gain  of  the  Father  of  Nature,  by  his  works,  is  pre- 
cious ;  we  everywhere  discover  his  greatness,  and  are  led  to  acknow- 
ledge that  he  has  perfected  all  with  consummate  wisdom.  Let  us 
then,  with  the  fuUe^^t  assurance  and  the  most  entire  confidence,  com- 
mit the  conduct  of  our  lives  to  Him  who  governs  all  things  in  the  per- 
fection of  his  wisdom;  let  us  banish  all  doubt  and  mistrust,  and  sur- 
mount every  fear,  by  faith  in  the  Almighty  Creator  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  ;  and  may  we  be  permitted  to  call  him  by  the  tender 
appellation  of  Father,  through  the  redeeming  grace  of  Christ ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


119 


APRIL  III. 

ABUNDANT   RICHES   OF  NATURE. 

To  be  convinced  of  the  liberality  with  which  nature  distributes  her 
gifts,  it  is  sufficient  to  reflect  upon  the  prodigious  number  of  human 
heing-s  who  receive  from  this  beneficent  mother  of  their  support, 
clothing,  and  comforts  of  every  kind.  But  as  this  daily  happens, 
perhaps  the  impression  made  upon  our  hearts  is  feeble,  or  we  totally 
disregard  the  blessings  we  are  continually  receiving  :  we  will  there- 
fore now  consider  those  creatures  which  are  partly  formed  for  our  use, 
and  some  of  which  are  the  objects  of  our  contempt.  This  considera- 
tion will  teach  us,  that  every  creature  inhabiting  the  earth  displays 
the  merciful  goodness  of  the  Creator  ;  and  if  our  hearts  are  still  sus- 
ceptible of  feeling,  must  call  upon  us  to  glorify  his  holy  name. 

Innumerable  multitudes  of  creatures  inhabiting  the  air,  the  earth, 
and  the  waters,  are  daily  indebted  to  nature  for  their  subsistence. 
Even  those  animals  which  we  ourselves  feed,  properly  owe  their 
nourishment  to  her.  The  various  species  of  fish  all  subsist  without 
the  help  of  man.  The  forests  will  produce  acorns,  the  mountains 
grass,  and  the  fields  different  seeds,  without  any  culture.  Amongst 
birds  the  most  despicable  as  well  as  most  numerous  tribe  is  that  of 
sparrows ;  the  number  of  which  is  so  prodigious,  that  the  produce 
from  all  the  fields  of  a  large  kingdom  would  not  suffice  for  their  sup- 
port during  the  space  of  one  year.  It  is  nature  which  takes  from  her 
immense  magazine  what  is  necessary  for  their  subsistence,  and  they 
are  only  the  least  part  of  her  dependants.  The  number  of  insects  is 
so  immense,  that  centuries  may  elapse  before  all  their  different  species 
shall  be  known.  How  numerous  are  the  flies,  and  how  many  different 
species  of  insects  float  in  the  air,  of  whose  stings  we  often  feel  the 
smart  !  The  blood  which  they  extract  from  us  is  a  very  uncertain 
and  accidental  kind  of  nourishment  ;  we  may  reckon  for  one  insect 
which  is  supported  in  this  manner  millions  which  have  never  tasted 
of  blood,  either  human  or  of  any  other  animal.  On  what  then  do 
these  creatures  live  ?  There  is  scarcely  a  handful  of  earth  that  does 
not  contain  hving  insects,  which  are  nourished  in  it  by  means  of  one 
another.  In  each  drop  of  water  creatures  are  discovered,  whose 
means  of  existence  and  multiplication  are  inconceivable. 

Immensely  rich  as  is  nature  in  living  creatures,  she  is  not  less  fer- 
tile in  the  means  of  supporting  them.  From  her  ever}^  creature  re- 
ceives its  shelter  and  aliment ;  for  them  she  causes  the  grass  to  grow 
upon  the  earth,  giving  to  each  the  choice  of  that  food  which  is  most 
suitable  to  its  nature ;  and  none  amongst  them  is  so  despicable  that 
she  disdains  to  regard  it  with  affection,  and  refuses  to  provide  for  its 
support.  Herein  is  plainly  manifested  the  power  of  the  Almighty, 
which  effects  what  all  the  people  of  the  earth  united  together  could 
not  accomplish.  He  satisfies  every  living  creature,  and  nourishes 
alike  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  water?  and  the 


120 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


earth.  And  will  he  do  less  for  man  1  Whenever  doubts  and  uncer- 
tainty arise,  let  us  remenaber  the  multitude  of  beings  which  God  daily- 
supports.  Let  the  fowls  of  the  air,  the  wild  beasts  of  the  desert,  and 
the  millions  of  creatures  which  do  not  depend  upon  the  care  of  man, 
teach  us  how  to  live  contentedly.  He  who  adorneth  the  flowers  of 
the  fields  with  their  beauty,  who  feedeth  every  animal,  surely  knows 
all  our  wants  ;  and  he  heareth  the  prayers  of  the  afilicted,  when  ut- 
tered in  the  language  of  faith  and  purity  of  heart. 


APRIL  IV. 

SUN-RISE. 

Have  you  ever  witnessed  that  superb  spectacle  which  the  rising 
sun  daily  affords  ?  Or  has  indolence,  the  love  of  sleep,  or  absolute 
indifference,  prevented  your  contemplating  this  splendid  phenomenon 
of  nature  ?  Perhaps  you  are  of  that  class  of  beings  who  prefer  the 
indulgence  of  a  few  hours  more  sleep,  to  the  gratification  of  seeing 
the  east  illumined  by  the  first  ra3^s  of  the  sun ;  or  you  are  of  the  opi- 
nion of  those  who,  satisfied  that  the  sun  is  present  to  enlighten  and 
to  cheer  the  earth,  never  trouble  themselves  with  reflecting  upon  the 
cause  of  such  an  effect.  Or  perhaps  you  are  like  millions  of  people 
who  daily  see  this  grand  spectacle  without  emotion,  and  without 
forming  any  idea  of  it,  but  who  pass  it  by  without  regard  or  reflec- 
tion. To  whichever  class  you  belong,  suffer  yourself  at  length  to  be 
roused  from  your  state  of  insensibility,  and  learn  what  thoughts  the 
view  of  the  rising  sun  ought  to  excite  in  your  mind. 

There  is  no  spectacle  in  nature  more  grand  and  beautiful  than  the 
rising  sun  ;  before  which,  the  most  magnificent  dress  that  human  art 
can  prepare,  the  most  splendid  decorations  and  ornamental  designs  of 
costly  palaces,  fade  away,  and  are  as  nothing.  At  first  the  eastern 
region  of  heaven,  clothed  in  the  purple  of  Aurora,  announces  the 
approach  of  the  sun.  The  sky  gradually  assumes  the  tints  of  the 
rose,  and  soon  flames  with  a  fiery  brilliancy  ;  then  the  rays  of  light 
piercing  the  clouds,  the  w^hole  horizon  becomes  luminous,  and  the 
sun  opens  upon  us  in  unrivalled  splendour,  gradually  rising  in  the 
heavens ;  whilst  every  creature  rejoicing  seems  to  receive  new  life 
and  being  ;  the  face  of  the  earth  is  smiling,  and  the  music  of  the 
birds  fills  the  air  ;  every  animal  is  in  motion,  and  expresses  its  joy 
by  playful  gambols  and  increased  animation. 

May  the  aspirations  of  my  soul  be  raised  to  the  throne  of  God,  and 
the  songs  of  my  praise  ascend  up  to  Heaven,  the  seat  of  Him  at 
whose  command  the  sun  first  rose,  and  whose  hand  still  directs  his 
annual  and  diurnal  course  ;  from  which  result  the  revolution  of  day 
and  night,  and  the  regular  succession  of  the  seasons.  Raise  thyself, 
O  my  soul !  to  the  Father  of  Glory,  and  celebrate  Iiis  majesty ;  ac 
knowledge  thy  dependence  upon  him,  and  celebrate  his  praise  by 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


121 


actions  which  are  pleasing  in  his  sight !  Behold  !  all  nature  pro- 
claims order  and  harmonious  regularity.  The  sun  and  all  the  stars 
accomplish  their  course  :  eacli  season  brings  fortli  its  fruits,  and  every 
day  renews  the  splendour  of  the  sun  ;  and  shall  we  be  the  only  crea- 
tures who  neglect  to  praise  the  Creator,  by  the  virtue  of  our  actions 
and  the  integrity  of  our  conduct  ?  Let  the  propriety  of  our  lives  and 
the  fervency  of  our  piety  exalt  the  goodness  of  God,  and  teach  the 
infidel  how  great  and  worthy  of  admiration  is  that  Deity  which  he 
professes  to  despise  ;  and  let  the  peaceful  calm  and  purity  of  our 
minds  teach  the  vicious  man  the  beauty  of  holiness,  and  the  mild  and 
merciful  nature  of  that  God  before  whom  he  trembles.  Let  us  act 
towards  our  fellow-creatures  as  God  does  to  us,  and  be  to  them  what 
the  sun  is  to  the  whole  universe.  As  he  daily  diffuses  his  benign  in- 
fluence over  the  earth ;  as  he  shines  upon  the  ungrateful  as  upon  the 
righteous  ;  and  as  he  gilds  the  bosom  of  the  valley  as  well  as  the 
lofty  summit  of  the  mountain  ;  so  let  our  lives  be  useful,  beneficent, 
and  consolatory  to  our  fellow-creatures  !  May  each  returning  day 
renew  the  charitable  emotions  of  our  heart,  and  may  we  do  all  the 
good  in  our  power,  and  endeavour  so  to  live  and  to  act,  that  our  hves 
shall  be  a  blessing  to  mankind. 


APRIL  V. 

CURIOUS  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  EAR. 

Although  the  ear  is  less  beautiful  than  the  eye,  its  conformation  is 
as  well  adapted  to  its  design,  and  it  is  equally  admirable  and  worthy 
of  the  Creator.  The  position  of  the  ear  bespeaks  much  wisdom  ;  for 
it  is  placed  in  the  most  convenient  part  of  the  body,  near  to  the  brain, 
the  common  seat  of  all  the  senses.  The  exterior  form  of  the  ear  me- 
rits considerable  attention  ;  its  substance  is  between  the  flexible  soft- 
ness of  flesh  and  the  firmness  of  bone,  which  prevents  the  inconve- 
nience that  would  have  arisen  had  it  been  either  entirely  muscular 
or  wholly  formed  of  solid  bone.  It  is  therefore  cartilaginous,  possess- 
ing firmness,  folds,  and  smoothness,  so  adapted  as  to  reflect  sound  ; 
for  the  chief  use  of  the  external  part  is  to  collect  the  vibrations  of  the 
air,  and  transmit  them  to  the  orifice  of  the  ear. 

The  internal  structure  of  this  organ  is  still  more  remarkable. 
Within  the  cavity  of  the  ear  is  an  opening,  called  the  meatus  audito- 
rius,  or  auditory  canal,  the  entrance  to  which  is  defended  by  small 
hairs,  which  prevent  insects  and  small  particles  of  extraneous  matter 
penetrating  into  it ;  for  which  purpose  there  is  also  secreted  a  bitter 
ceruminous  matter,  called  ear-wax.  The  auditory  canal  is  termi- 
nated obliquely  by  a  membrane,  generally  known  by  the  name  of 
drum,  which  instrument  it  in  some  degree  resembles  ;  for  within  the 
cavity  of  the  auditory  canal  is  a  kind  of  bony  ring,  over  which  the 
inembrana  tympani  is  stretched.    In  contact  with  this  membrane,  on 


122 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  inner  side,  is  a  small  bone,  called  malleus,  or  the  hammer,  against 
which  it  strikes  when  agitated  by  the  vibrations  of  sound.  Connect- 
ed with  these  are  two  small  muscles  :  one,  by  stretching  the  mem- 
brane, adapts  it  to  be  more  easily  acted  upon  by  soft  and  low  sounds  ; 
the  other,  by  relaxing,  prepares  it  for  those  which  are  very  loud.  Be- 
sides the  malleus,  there  are  some  other  very  small  and  remarkable 
bones,  called  incus  or  the  anvil,  os  orbiculare  or  orbicular  bone,  and 
the  stapes  or  stirrup  :  their  use  is  to  assist  in  conveying  the  sounds 
received  upon  the  membrana  tympani.  Behind  the  cavity  of  the  drum 
is  an  opening,  called  the  Eustachian  tube,  which  begins  at  the  back 
part  of  the  mouth  with  an  orifice,  which  diminishes  in  size  as  the 
tube  passes  towards  the  ear,  where  it  becomes  bony ;  by  this  means 
sounds  may  be  conveyed  to  the  ear  through  the  mouth,  and  it  facili- 
tates the  vibrations  of  the  membrane  by  the  admission  of  air.  We 
may  next  observe  the  cochlea,  which  somewhat  resembles  the  shell 
of  a  snail,  whence  its  name  ;  its  cavity  winds  in  a  spiral  direction, 
and  is  divided  into  two  by  a  thin  spiral  lamina  :  and  lastly  is  the  au- 
ditory nerve,  which  terminates  in  the  brain. 

The  faculty  of  hearing  is  worthy  of  the  utmost  admiration  and 
attention  :  by  putting  in  motion  a  very  small  portion  of  air,  without 
even  being  conscious  of  its  moving,  we  have  the  power  of  communi- 
cating to  each  other  our  thoughts,  desires,  and  conceptions.  But  to 
render  the  action  of  air  in  the  propagation  of  sound  more  intelligible, 
we  must  recollect  that  the  air  is  not  a  solid  but  a  fluid  body.  Throw 
a  stone  into  a  smooth  stream  of  water,  and  there  will  take  place  un- 
dulations, which  will  be  extended  more  or  less  according  to  the  degree 
of  force  with  which  the  stone  was  impelled.  Conceive  then  that 
when  a  word  is  uttered  in  the  air,  a  similar  effect  takes  place  in  that 
element  as  is  produced  by  the  stone  in  the  water.  During  the  action 
of  speaking,  the  air  is  expelled  from  the  mouth  with  more  or  less 
force  ;  this  communicates  an  undulatory  motion  to  the  external  air 
which  it  meets ;  and  these  undulations  of  the  air  entering  the  cavity 
of  the  ear,  the  external  parts  of  which  are  peculiarly  adapted  to  re- 
ceive them,  strike  upon  the  tympanum  or  drum,  by  which  means  it 
is  shaken,  and  receives  a  trembhng  motion  :  the  vibration  is  commu- 
nicated to  the  malleus,  the  bone  immediately  in  contact  with  the 
membrane,  and  from  it  to  the  other  bones  ;  the  last  of  which,  the 
stapes  or  stirrup,  adhering  to  the  fenestra  ovahs,  or  oval  orifice,  causes 
it  to  vibrate  ;  the  trembling  of  which  is  communicated  to  a  portion  of 
water  contained  in  the  cavity,  called  the  vestibulum,  and  in  the  semi- 
circular canals,  causing  a  gentle  tremor  in  the  nervous  expansion 
contained  therein,  which  is  transmitted  to  the  brain  ;  and  the  mind 
is  thus  informed  of  the  presence  of  sound,  and  feels  a  sensation  pro- 
portioned to  the  force  or  to  the  weakness  of  the  impression  that  is 
made. 

What  great  cause  we  have  to  rejoice  in  possessing  the  faculty  of 
hearing !  for  without  it  our  state  would  be  most  wretched  and  deplor- 
able ;  in  some  respects  more  sorrowful  than  the  loss  of  sight.  Had 
we  been  born  deaf,  we  could  not  have  acquired  knowledge  suflScient 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


123 


to  enable  us  to  pursue  any  art  or  science.  Let  us  never  behold  those 
who  have  the  misfortune  to  be  deaf,  without  endeavouring  better  to 
estimate  the  gift  of  which  they  are  deprived,  and  which  we  enjoy,  or 
without  praising  the  goodness  of  God,  vvliich  has  granted  it  to  us  ; 
and  the  best  way  we  can  testify  our  gratitude  is  to  make  a  proper  use 
of  this  important  blessing. 


APRIL  VL 

THE  MILKY  WAY. 

If  we  observe  the  heavens  during  a  clear  night  we  discover  a  pale 
irregular  light,  and  a  number  of  stars,  whose  mingled  rays  form  the 
luminous  tract  which  is  called  the  Milky  Way.  These  stars  are  at 
too  great  a  distance  to  be  perceived  by  the  naked  eye;  and  amongst 
those  which  are  visible  with  a  telescope,  there  are  spaces  apparently 
filled  with  others  in  immense  numbers,  though  not  distinctly  percepti- 
ble through  a  telescope.  Though  the  number  already  discovered  is 
prodigious,  if  we  could  make  our  observations  from  another  side  of 
the  globe,  nearer  to  the  antarctic  pole,  we  should  be  able  to  make  still 
more  discoveries,  and  see  a  number  of  stars  which  have  never  appear- 
ed upon  our  hemisphere  ;  and  yet  we  should  not  even  then  be  able  to 
discover  the  half,  or  the  thousandth  part,  of  those  radiant  bodies  which 
shine  in  the  immense  firmament  of  heaven. 

All  the  stars  which  we  perceive  in  the  milky  way  appear  no  more 
than  so  many  luminous  points,  though  each  one  maj^be  much  larger 
than  the  whole  terraqueous  globe.  If  we  use  instruments  of  the  ut- 
most power,  they  never  appear  larger  than  when  seen  by  the  naked 
eye.  Were  an  inhabitant  of  this  earth  to  ascend  into  the  air  one 
hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  miles,  the  fixed  stars  would  still  appear 
no  larger  than  luminous  specks.  Incredible  as  this  assertion  may 
appear,  it  is  not  a  chimerical  idea,  but  a  fact  which  is  effectively 
proved ;  for  about  the  10th  of  December  we  are  more  than  one 
hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  miles  nearer  the  northern  part  of  the 
heavens  than  we  are  on  the  10th  of  June  ;  and  yet  we  never  perceive 
any  increase  of  magnitude  in  the  stars. 

The  milky  way,  though  little,  compared  with  the  rest  of  the  hea- 
vens, is  amply  sufficient  to  manifest  the  grandeur  of  the  Supreme 
Being ;  and  each  one  of  the  stars  we  there  discover  display  the  wis- 
dom and  goodness  of  the  Almighty.  And  what  are  these  stars  in 
comparison  of  the  immense  number  of  worlds  revolving  in  the  firma- 
ment of  heaven  1  Reason  herself  is  confounded  in  the  contempla- 
tion, and  lost  in  admiration  ;  we  can  only  wonder  and  adore. 

Often,  then,  as  we  behold  the  starry  sky,  let  us  raise  our  souls  to 
thee,  O  adorable  Creator  !  and  confess  v/ith  shame  how  seldom  we 
have  thought  of  thee  ;  how  little  we  have  reverenced  thy  grandeur 
or  praised  thy  majesty  !  Pardon  our  insensibihty,  and  forgive  our  in- 


124 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


gratitude,  O  God  !  Loose  these  souls  bound  by  earthly  ties,  and 
raise  them  to  thyself,  O  Creator  of  Jieaven  and  earth  !  Suffer  us  to 
humble  ourselves  at  thy  feet,  deeply  convinced  of  our  littleness  and 
unworthiness  !  Then  may  we  be  comforted  in  our  contrition  with 
the  glorious  hope,  that  our  redeemed  souls  will  hereafter  soar  beyond 
the  region  of  the  stars  in  endless  felicity  ! 


APRIL  VII. 

GERMINATION  OF  PLANTS. 

The  vegetable  kingdom  is  a  vast  field,  where  the  attentive  observer 
tnsij  contemplate  the  boundless  power  and  omnipotent  wisdom  of  the 
Creator.  Though  we  should  live  upon  the  earth  for  the  space  of  a 
hundred  years,  and  though  we  were  to  dedicate  every  day  to  the  study 
of  a  particular  plant,  at  the  end  of  our  career  there  would  still  remain 
many  things  that  we  had  not  perceived,  or  had  not  been  able  suffi- 
ciently to  observe.  Let  us  reflect  upon  the  production  of  plants,  and 
examine  their  internal  structure,  and  the  conformation  of  their  differ- 
ent parts ;  let  us  reflect  upon  the  simplicity  and  diversity  discoverable 
in  them,  from  the  least  blade  of  grass  to  the  most  lofty  oak ;  and  en- 
deavour to  become  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  their  growth,  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  propagated,  how  they  are  preserved,  and 
the  different  properties  by  which  they  are  useful  to  the  animal  crea- 
tion. Each  of  these  articles  will  suflSciently  employ  our  faculties, 
and  teach  us  the  infinite  power  and  merciful  goodness  of  the  Creator. 
We  shall  every  where  discover  with  admiration  the  most  wonderful 
order  and  incomprehensibly  beneficial  designs. 

Though  we  were  to  know  no  more  of  plants  than  the  phenomena 
which  every  eye  may  distinguish ;  though  we  only  knew  that  a  grain 
of  corn,  when  sown  in  the  earth,  at  first  shoots  forth  a  root  into  the 
soil ;  then  a  stem  upwards,  which  pierces  the  surface,  and  bears 
branches,  leaves,  and  fruit,  in  which  are  included  the  germs  of  new 
plants  ;  we  should  yet  discover  sufficient  to  convince  us  of  the  pro- 
found wisdom  of  the  Creator.  Let  us  attentively  consider  all  the 
changes  which  a  grain  of  wheat  undergoes  in  the  earth  :  it  is  sown 
at  a  certain  time,  which  is  all  we  can  do  to  assist  its  progress  ;  but 
nature  is  more  active.  As  soon  as  it  has  acquired  the  necessary  de- 
gree of  humidity  from  the  earth,  it  swells  ;  the  external  coat  or  skin 
which  concealed  the  root,  stem,  and  leaves,  opens ;  the  root  bursts 
forth  and  penetrates  into  the  earth,  where  it  derives  nourishment  for 
the  stem,  which  now  makes  an  effort  to  raise  itself  up  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground.  When  it  has  sprung  up,  it  gradually  increases 
till  it  has  arrived  at  its  proper  height ;  it  then  unfolds  its  leaves,  which 
at  first  are  white,  then  yellow,  and  at  length  are  tinged  with  a  beau- 
tiful green.  If  we  confine  ourselves  to  the  examination  of  this  grain 
of  corn,  so  necessary  to  our  subsistence,  what  admirable  wisdom  we 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


125 


shall  observe  !  Immediately  as  the  tunic  which  enclosed  the  germ  is 
rent,  and  the  root  has  penetrated  the  earth,  the  stem  ventures  to 
spring  up  in  the  form  of  a  fine  and  delicate  filament,  which,  however 
feeble  it  may  appear,  is  able  to  contend  with  the  inclemency  of  the  air. 
It  gradually  increases  in  size  till  it  produces  the  ear  of  corn,  the  sight 
of  which  is  so  grateful,  and  where  the  fruit  is  enclosed  in  leaves  which 
serve  as  a  sheath  till  it  is  strong  enough  to  break  through  them. 

The  fields  where  corn  is  sown  may  serve  to  remind  us  of  fields 
sown  with  a  very  different  kind  of  seed.  We  may  regard  our  bodies, 
when  quietly  deposited  in  the  earth,  as  seeds  which  are  to  spring  up 
and  be  matured  in  eternity.  We  have  as  little  reason  to  expect  that 
a  grain  of  wheat  placed  in  the  ground  will  produce  an  ear  of  corn,  as 
that  our  bodies  reduced  to  dust  shall  become  glorious  bodies  of  light 
and  immortality.  The  time  will  come,  when  the  seed  shall  unfold 
itself,  our  dust  will  be  reanimated,  and  the  righteous  will  live  in 
Christ.  In  that  great  day,  what  will  become  of  you  who  despise  our 
faith  ?  It  is  true,  our  bodies  must  dissolve  and  turn  to  dust ;  but  they 
will  not  always  remain  under  the  influence  of  death.  The  soul  of 
the  just  man  made  perfect  will  repose  from  the  labours  of  this  life,  in 
the  bosom  of  his  God,  full  of  happiness  and  adoration.  Eye  has  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  the  imagination  of  man  conceived,  a 
state  of  salvation  so  blessed  and  glorious  as  this ! 


APRIL  VIII. 

THE  AZURE  COLOUR  OF  THE  SKY. 

To  judge  from  the  first  impression  of  our  senses,  we  might  suppose 
that  the  heaven  above  us  was  an  immense  vault  of  blue  studded  with 
brilHants  ;  such  an  opinion,  however,  will  only  be  retained  by  the 
most  ignorant  of  men,  though  many  with  some  title  to  understanding 
have  very  absurd  notions  of  the  sky.  The  reason  why  it  appears  of 
an  azure  colour  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  atmosphere  not  being  perfectly 
transparent.  Were  it  possible  to  ascend  very  high  above  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  the  air  would  be  found  much  more  rare,  till,  if  we  were 
to  ascend  still  higher,  it  would  become  incapable  of  assisting  in  respi- 
ration, and  at  length  would  entirely  cease,  when  we  should  have 
reached  the  region  of  pure  ether. 

The  higher  the  mountains  are  w^hich  we  ascend,  the  lighter  does 
the  atmosphere  become,  and  the  azure  colour  of  the  heavens  fainter. 
And  if  it  were  possible  to  ascend  to  the  regions  of  pure  ether,  the  blue 
colour  would  entirely  disappear,  the  sky  would  appear  black  as  night ; 
for  so  do  those  objects  appear  which  do  not  reflect  the  rays  of  light. 
Consequently,  if  the  air  which  surrounds  us  was  as  transparent  as 
ether,  the  sky  could  not  appear  blue.  The  air  is  filled  with  innume- 
rable minute  particles,  which,  when  illumined  by  the  sun,  receive  a 
motion,  in  consequence  of  which  new  rays  are  produced  ;  and  those 


126 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


particles,  of  themselves  obscure,  become  visible  to  us  when  they  are 
thus  illumined.  Their  colour  is  blue  ;  hence  a  forest,  which  appears 
green  when  we  are  nigh  to  it,  seems  to  be  more  and  more  blue  as  we 
recede  from  it.  However  pale  and  subtile  are  the  blue  rays  of  air,  so 
many  of  them  strike  upon  our  eyes  at  the  same  instant,  that  they  pro- 
duce all  the  effects  of  a  dark  blue. 

What  has  now  been  advanced  may  induce  us  to  consider  the  hea- 
vens in  a  different  point  of  view  than  we  have  hitherto  done.  From 
it  we  may  conclude,  that  there  is  not  a  phenomenon  in  nature,  not 
even  the  colour  of  the  sky,  in  which  w^e  do  not  discover  order,  utility, 
and  some  certain  end.  If  green  is  the  most  agreeable  colour  that 
could  be  chosen  to  beautify  the  earth,  the  azure  of  the  heavens  is  no 
less  beautiful  and  pleasing.  How  dreadful  is  the  aspect  of  heaven, 
when  storms  rave  and  tempests  lower  !  But  what  a  beauty  and  sim- 
plicity is  seen  when  it  is  in  a  state  of  serenity  and  repose  !  The 
charms  it  presents  increase  the  longer  we  contemplate  it,  and  we  are 
never  weary  w^ith  the  pleasing  view  ;  the  rejoiced  soul  raises  itself  to 
the  Being  which  has  thus  adorned  the  heavens,  and  sw^ells  with 
grateful  joy  in  the  contemplation  of  his  power  displayed  in  beauty. 


APRIL  IX. 

NECESSITy  AND  USE  OP  AIR 

The  earth  is  surrounded  by  a  fluid,  called  air,  which  materially 
contributes  to  its  life,  beauty,  and  preservation.  All  the  changes  we 
observe  in  the  different  beings  upon  our  globe  depend  upon  the  air.  It 
is  essential  to  the  existence  of  animals,  for  few  of  them  can  survive  a 
minute's  privation  of  this  fluid.  Not  only  land-animals,  and  those 
which  inhabit  the  air,  cannot  live  without  it ;  but  those  which  dwell 
beneath  the  waters  equally  require  a  renovation  of  air.  That  birds 
may  be  enabled  to  fly,  they  must  be  supported  by  the  air ;  and  on  this 
account  we  find  their  lungs  are  so  constructed,  that  the  air  can  pass 
by  orifices  into  their  bodies,  and  their  bones  are  cellular  or  porous ;  by 
which  means  they  are  much  lighter,  and  more  easily  float  as  well  as 
fly  in  the  air.  Plants  also  require  air  to  forward  their  growth  and 
vegetation  :  hence  they  are  provided  with  numerous  vessels  for  its 
reception  and  transmission. 

Nothing  is  more  easy  than  to  enumerate  proofs  of  the  necessity  and 
use  of  air  ;  we  shall  at  present  confine  our  attention  to  one  only, 
which  will  sufficiently  illustrate  our  assertion.  If  air  did  not  exist, 
there  would  be  no  twihght  before  sun-rise  ;  the  sun  would  suddenly 
flame  above  the  horizon  bright  as  at  noon-day  ;  its  aspect  would  not 
be  changed  till  the  moment  in  which  it  disappeared  to  leave  us  in 
total  darkness.  It  is  true,  the  sun  would  strike  us  with  a  most  vivid 
light  though  there  was  no  air,  but  it  w^ould  resemble  a  fire  blazing 
during  the  night  in  an  open  country  :  it  would  in  some  sense  be  day, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


127 


whilst  the  sun  and  the  objects  which  immediately  surround  us  were 
visible  ;  but  all  the  rays  which  fell  on  bodies  placed  at  a  certain  dis- 
tance would  be  reflected  in  a  right  line,  and  lost  in  the  extent  of  the 
heavens.  Thus,  though  the  sun  was  placed  immediately  over  our 
heads,  we  might  yet  experience  a  sort  of  night,  if  the  atmosphere  did 
not  intervene  between  us  and  the  luminary. 

To  recapitulate  then  all  the  advantages  which  the  air  produces  to 
our  globe  :  it  preserves  life,  as  being  the  principle  of  respiration  to 
living  creatures  ;  through  its  medium  winged  animals  fly,  and  those 
which  inhabit  the  waters  are  enabled  to  swim  ;  it  serves  for  the  pro- 
pagation of  sound,  and  conduces  to  the  formation  of  vapours,  rain, 
and  wind  ;  it  is  essential  to  the  fertilization  of  the  earth,  favours  the 
vegetation  of  plants,  and  by  its  agitation  disperses  the  noxious  va- 
pours which  exhale  from  different  bodies.  If  air  did  not  surround  our 
globe,  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun  would  be  insufficient  for  our  pur- 
poses ;  sounds  could  not  be  transmitted,  consequently  our  organs  of 
speech  would  be  useless:  in  short,  the  advantages  which  the  air  pro- 
duces to  the  human  race  are  without  number  ;  and  if  we  accustom- 
ed ourselves  to  contemplate  with  an  attentive  mind  this  great  agent 
of  nature,  we  should  be  more  and  more  led  to  exalt  the  works  and  the 
glory  of  God.  If  any  have  hitherto  neglected  this  pleasing  duty  by 
having  taken  only  a  superficial  view  of  the  creation,  and  whilst  they 
enjoyed  the  blessings  of  nature  their  hearts  have  not  bowed  before 
the  presence  of  God,  I  beseech  them,  as  they  value  their  own  happi- 
ness and  well-being,  to  endeavour  in  future  to  become  attentive  spec- 
tators and  observers  of  the  works  of  God  ;  for  they  who  consider  them 
with  attention,  and  investigate  them  with  ardour,  are  rewarded  with 
a  pleasure  pure  and  unceasing :  the  study  of  nature  is  a  source  of 
everlasting  joy,  the  springs  of  which  never  fail. 


APRIL  X. 

DIVERSITY   OF  SOIL. 

The  soil  of  the  earth  is  not  the  same  in  all  places ;  the  upper  bed 
is  generally  formed  of  a  black,  friable,  and  rich  earth,  which  being- 
mixed  with  the  remains  of  plants  and  animal  matter,  becomes  the 
nourishing  parent  of  the  many  thousands  of  vegetables  which  enrich 
our  globe.  This  bed  often  varies  in  quality  ;  at  one  place  it  is  light 
and  sandy,  at  another  clayey  and  heavy  ;  sometimes  it  is  moist,  some- 
times dry ;  here  warm,  and  there  cold.  Hence  we  find  that  plants, 
and  herbs,  which  in  some  countries  grow  spontaneously,  in  others 
will  not  succeed  without  art  and  cultivation ;  and  this  diversity  of 
soil  is  also  frequently  the  cause  why  vegetables  of  the  same  species 
differ  amongst  themselves,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  soil  in  which 
they  grow.  In  this  the  wisdom  of  the  Creator  is  conspicuous  :  if  all 
soils  were  alike,  and  possessed  the  same  q^ualities  and  constituent 


128 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


parts,  we  should  be  deprived  of  many  thousands  of  vegetables,  as 
each  species  of  plants  requires  a  soil  analogous  to  its  nature.  Some 
require  a  soil  which  is  dry,  others  one  that  is  moist ;  to  some  warmth 
is  necessary,  and  to  others  cold ;  some  flourish  better  in  the  shade, 
whilst  others  only  expand  in  the  sun  ;  some  again  thrive  on  moun- 
tains, whilst  the  greater  number  prefer  the  valleys.  Hence  it  hap- 
pens that  every  country  has  a  certain  number  of  plants  peculiar  to  it, 
and  which  do  not  thrive  so  well  in  others.  If  the  elder  is  transplant- 
ed into  a  sandy  soil,  and  the  willow  into  one  which  is  dry  and  rich,  it 
will  be  found  that  neither  will  succeed  so  well  in  a  soil  different  from 
that  to  which  it  has  been  accustomed.  Thus  nature  provides  for 
each  that  soil  which  is  best  adapted  for  its  culture,  each  species  grow- 
ing in  the  soil  most  analogous  to  its  constitution.  It  is  true,  that  art 
often  forces  nature  to  produce  according  to  our  wishes  ;  but  the 
effects  of  this  opposition  do  not  always  repay  our  trouble  and  expense, 
and  nature,  in  the  end,  is  found  superior  to  all  the  researches  of  skill 
and  operations  of  art. 

As  the  soil  is  infinitely  varied,  so  also  is  the  character  and  disposi- 
tion of  men.  There  are  some  whose  hearts  are  too  insensible  to  pro- 
fit by  instruction,  whom  no  motive  affects,  whom  no  truth,  however 
forcible  and  evident,  awakens  from  their  stupidity.  Such  a  character 
may  be  compared  to  a  stony  soil,  which  alike  resists  the  temperature 
of  the  air,  and  the  assiduity  of  culture  :  a  character  little  superior  is 
that  where  continual  levity  predominates.  People  of  this  class  may 
receive  the  salutary  impressions  of  religion  and  piety  ;  but,  if  the 
least  obstacle  impedes,  they  are  discouraged,  and  their  zeal  vanishes 
as  quick  as  their  good  resolutions.  Such  as  these  are  those  timid  and 
frivolous  people  who  reject  truth  because  they  aie  afraid  to  receive  it, 
and  in  whom  piety  cannot  take  root  because  there  is  no  depth  ;  they 
resemble  the  light  and  dry  soils  where  nothing  arrives  at  maturity, 
where  the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun  dries  up  every  thing,  because  the 
soil  does  not  afford  the  succulent  juices  necessary  to  the  nourishment 
of  the  plants.  Happy  are  they  in  whom,  as  in  a  rich  soil,  the  seeds 
of  virtue  mature  into  an  abimdant  harvest  of  choice  fruits  ! 

On  this  diversity  of  disposition,  among  men,  depends  more  or  less 
the  effect  which  the  sacred  word  produces  in  their  hearts.  In  vain 
may  the  sower  sow  the  best  seed,  and  useless  will  be  his  care,  if  the 
soil  which  receives  it  has  not  the  requisite  qualities  :  the  excellence 
of  the  seed  can  never  alter  the  sterility  of  the  soil ;  which,  if  so  hard 
and  unyielding  that  the  seed  cannot  enter,  or  so  sandy  that  it  cannot 
take  root,  or  so  stony  as  to  choak  it  up,  will  never  bring  forth  good 
fruit.  To  whichever  class  we  may  belong,  whether  the  impenetrable 
hardness  of  our  hearts  resists  every  impulse,  or  the  frivolity  of  our 
disposition  admits  of  no  steady  pursuit,  we  shall  readily  acknowledge 
that  before  the  seeds  of  truth  and  of  virtue  can  ripen  into  maturity 
and  produce  fruit,  before  we  can  attain  the  enjoyment  of  felicity  and 
blessed  peace,  our  hearts  must  be  changed.  To  effect  which  must 
be  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  may  the  Almighty,  in  his  con- 
descension, assist  and  enable  us  to  become  like  the  fruitful  soil,  and, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


129 


faithful  to  our  vocation,  bring  forth  abundance  of  fruit,  that,  rich  in 
good  works,  we  may  preserve  the  gift  of  his  grace  in  a  good  and 
generous  heart. 


APRIL  XI. 

NECESSITY  OF  REPOSE  DURING  THE  NIGHT. 

Labour  is  useful  and  necessary  to  man  ;  upon  it  depends  much  of 
the  happiness  and  convenience  of  hfe,  and  every  one,  according  to  his 
state  and  condition,  should  apply  himself  to  it.  But  by  incessant  ex- 
ertion human  strength  would  be  speedily  exhausted,  and  man  would 
become  incapable  of  using  his  bodily  powers,  or  of  exerting  the  facul- 
ties of  his  mind,  if  nature  did  not,  b}^  continually  supplying  him  with 
new  vigour  and  activity,  enable  him  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  his  voca- 
tion. As  we  daily  lose  a  portion  of  our  nutritious  juices,  we  should 
soon  become  exhausted,  and  suffer  a  fatal  consumption,  was  not  our 
vitality  continually  renewed.  This  is  supposed  to  be  effected,  and  the 
ability  to  labour  supported,  by  a  matter  inconceivably  tenuid  and  pe- 
netrating, secreted  from  the  blood,  and  called  the  nervous  fluid,  which 
supports  the  action  of  the  brain  and  muscles.  But  the  continual  dis- 
sipation of  this  fluid  would  soon  exhaust  it,  and  man  would  become 
languid  and  enfeebled,  unless  the  waste  was  continually  repaired.* 
If  the  body  was  kept  constantly  in  a  state  of  action,  our  aliment  ^ould 
not  be  digested,  nor  its  nutriment  be  regularly  distributed  to  every 
part. 

It  is  necessary  then  that  the  labour  of  the  head,  as  well  as  the  ex- 
ertion of  the  body,  be  for  a  time  suspended,  that  our  wearied  nature 
may  regain  strength  and  vigour.  Sleep  renders  us  this  important 
service :  as  night  approaches,  the  powers  which  have  been  exerted 
during  the  day  diminish,  our  vitality  seems  to  be  weakened,  and  we 
are  irresistibly  urged  to  sleep  ;  during  which  state,  when  the  activity 
of  thought  and  the  labour  of  our  hands  have  ceased,  our  fatigued 
body  acquires  new  force  and  fresh  vigour.  This  renovation  is  as  ne- 
cessary to  the  body  as  to  the  mind;  by  it  om'  limbs  are  rendered  ca- 
pable of  the  greatest  alertness,  and  our  mind  is  enabled  to  undergo 
new  exertions  by  its  increased  activity  and  the  reanimation  of  all  the 
intellectual  faculties. 

How  culpable  are  those  who,  from  trifling  views,  a  sordid  interest, 
or  the  gratification  of  their  passions,  deny  themselves  the  necessary 
portion  of  sleep  !  They  interrupt  the  order  of  nature,  which  has  been 
established  for  their  good  ;  they  destroy  their  gayety  of  heart,  ener- 
vate their  bodily  strength,  and  hasten  the  short  period  of  their  exist- 
ence by  inducing  a  premature  old  age.   Why  should  we  be  so  foolish 

*  "Whatever  is  the  cause  ofthat  excitement  which  stimulates  to  action,  or  of  the  reno- 
vation of  exhausted  strength,  the  nervous  fluid  so  much  talked  of  has  never  been  disoo» 
vered  ;  we  merely  know  that  the  nerves  are  essential  to  sensation  and  life. — E. 


130 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


as  to  deprive  ourselves  of  a  blessing  which  the  bountiful  favour  of 
Heaven  bestows  upon  all  descriptions  of  men,  upon  the  poor  as  well 
as  the  rich,  upon  the  learned  as  upon  the  ignorant  ?  Why  should  we 
shorten  our  days  by  refusing  the  gift  which  nature  offers  of  prolonging 
our  life  by  the  renovating  repose  of  sleep  1  The  nights  may  come, 
when,  far  from  enjoying  the  sweet  refreshment  of  sleep,  tossing  on 
the  bed  of  anguish,  we  shall  be  counting  the  tedious  hours  as  they 
heavily  pass  over.  Few  know  or  estimate  the  value  of  sleep  till  they 
have  wished  for  it  in  vain  :  and  there  are  nightly  many  thousands  of 
human  beings  who,  afflicted  with  diseases  or  mental  agitation,  know 
not  the  blessing  of  this  sweet  restorer  of  nature. 


APRIL  XII. 

MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  EARTH. 

To  determine  the  exact  size  of  the  earth  is  attended  with  con- 
siderable difficulty :  though  there  is  in  fact  but  one  longitude,  there 
are  two  latitudes,  the  north  and  the  south,  both  beginning  at  the 
equator  ;  the  one  extending  as  far  north  as  the  arctic  pole,  the  other 
south  to  the  antartic  pole.  No  one  has  yet  been  able  to  penetrate  as 
far  as  either  pole :  for  the  mountains  of  ice  in  Greenland,  and  the 
northern  sea,  have  always  impeded  on  the  north  :  and  the  south  is 
not  more  accessible.  However,  by  the  labours  of  geometricians,  we 
are  enabled  pretty  nearly  to  ascertain  the  dimensions  of  our  globe  ; 
and  according  to  the  most  exact  calculations,  the  surface  of  the  earth 
contains  199  millions,  512  thousand,  595  square  miles.  The  seas 
and  unknown  parts,  by  a  measurement  of  the  best  maps,  contain  160 
millions,  522  thousand,  and  26  square  miles  ;  and  the  inhabited  parts 
38  millions,  990  thousand,  569  square  miles,  in  the  following  propor- 
tion : — Europe  4  millions,  456  thousand  and  65;  Asia  10  millions, 
768  thousand,  823  ;  Africa  9  millions,  654  thousand,  807  ;  America 
14  milhons,  110  thousand,  874;*  which  calculations  prove  that 
scarcely  a  third  part  of  the  globe  is  inhabited. 

It  has  been  calculated  that  there  might  be  at  least  three  thousand 
millions  of  men  upon  the  earth  at  once,  whilst  in  reality  there  are  no 
more  than  one  thousand  and  eighty  millions  :  of  which  there  are  in 
Asia  650  millions,  in  Africa  150,  in  America  150,  and  in  Europe  130 
millions.  Supposing  then  that  the  earth  is  inhabited  by  about  one 
thousand  millions,  and  that  thirty-three  years  make  a  generation,  it 
would  follow  that  in  the  above  space  of  time  a  thousand  millions  will 
die ;  consequently  the  number  of  those  who  die  upon  the  earth 
amounts  each  year  to  30  millions,  every  day  to  about  83,400,  every 
hour  to  3,475,  and  every  minute  to  about  57.  This  calculation  is 
very  striking,  and  will  naturally  suggest  the  idea,  that  since  the  mor- 


*  Ferguson's  Astronomy. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


131 


tality  of  each  year,  and  even  of  each  miruite,  is  so  great,  it  is  very 
probable  that  \ve  may  ourselves  very  soon  increase  the  bills  of  mor- 
tality. At  this  very  instant  some  one  of  our  fellow-creatures  has  paid 
the  debt  of  nature,  and  ere  the  lapse  of  another  hour  above  three 
thousand  more  beings  will  have  bid  a  final  adieu  to  this  state  of  exist- 
ence. These  considerations  are  awful,  and  should  lead  us  to  the 
most  serious  reflections ;  they  should  frequently  induce  us  to  reflect 
upon  death,  and  prepare  for  eternity. 

Immense  as  the  earth  may  appear,  its  magnitude  sinks  into  nothing 
when  compared  with  those  spheres,  which  revolve  in  the  heavens;  in 
comparison  of  the  whole  system  of  the  universe,  it  is  no  more  than  as 
a  grain  of  sand  is  to  the  most  lofty  mountain  !  How  this  thought 
raises  my  conceptions  of  the  inexpressible  grandeur  of  God,  the  infi- 
nite Creator  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  in  comparison  of  whom 
this  world,  and  all  the  worlds  we  can  conceive,  with  their  multiplied 
inhabitants,  are  lighter  than  chaflf  before  the  wind,  and  of  less  account 
than  the  atoms  playing  in  the  sun-beams  ! 


APRIL  xin. 

GENERATION  OF  BIRDS. 

About  this  season  of  the  year  nature  undergoes  a  general  revolu- 
tion, highly  interesting  and  well  deserving  of  our  attention.  This  is 
the  time  when  the  joyful  birds  begin  to  build  their  nests  and  bring 
forth  their  tender  young ;  an  operation  which,  though  renewed  ever}^ 
year,  is  little  regarded. 

In  each  impregnated  egg  that  has  not  yet  been  sat  upon,  a  small 
spot  is  observed  on  the  yolk,  in  the  centre  of  which  spot  is  a  white 
circle  extending  upwards,  and  appearing  to  join  some  small  vesicles. 
In  the  middle  of  this  circle  is  a  sort  of  fluid  matter,  in  which  swims 
the  embryo  of  the  future  chick.  It  is  composed  of  two  lines  or  white 
threads,  which  sometimes  appear  to  be  separated  from  each  other  at 
their  extremities,  and  between  which  a  liquid  substance  is  seen  of  a 
leaden  colour.  The  extremity  of  the  embryo. is  contained  in  a  vesicle 
or  small  bag,  surrounded  by  a  ligament,  in  which  the  navel  afterward 
appears.  The  hgament  is  partly  composed  of  a  solid  yellowish  mat- 
ter, and  partly  of  a  brown  fluid,  which  is  also  surrounded  by  a  white 
circle.  These  are  the  chief  things  observable  in  an  impregnated  egg 
before  incubation. 

When  it  has  been  under  the  hen  about  twelve  hours,  there  appears 
in  the  lineaments  of  the  embryo  a  humid  matter,  which  has  the  form 
of  a  little  head,  and  on  which  vesicles  are  seen  that  afterwards  form 
the  vertebrae  of  the  back.  In  thirty  hours  the  place  of  the  navel  ap- 
pears covered  with  a  number  of  little  vessels,  and  the  eyes  begin  to 
be  distinguishable.  The  two  white  threads,  which  in  uniting  have 
left  still  some  space  between  them,  enclose  five  vesicles,  which  are 


132 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  matter  of  the  brain  and  spinal  marrow.  The  heart  may  next  be 
observed,  though  it  has  not  been  ascertained  whether  the  heart  or  the 
blood  is  first  formed.  However  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  the 
rudiments  of  the  chick  existed  in  the  impregnated  egg  before  incuba- 
tion ;  and  when  it  has  been  some  time  sat  on,  the  vertebrae,  the 
brain,  the  spinal  marrow,  the  wings,  and  part  of  the  muscles,  may  be 
distinguished  before  we  can  perceive  the  heart,  the  blood,  and  the 
vessels.  In  thirty-six  hours  the  navel  is  covered  with  a  number  of 
vessels,  separated  from  each  other  by  unequal  spaces.  The  essential 
parts  of  the  chick  being  thus  developed,  it  continues  to  grow  larger, 
and  the  parts  become  more  distinct,  till,  in  about  twenty  or  one-and- 
twenty  days,  it  is  strong  enough  to  break  the  shell  in  which  it  was 
enclosed. 

We  owe  these  discoveries  to  those  naturalists  who,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  the  microscope,  have  hourly  watched  and  remarked  the  pro- 
gressive formation  and  development  of  the  chick.  However,  not- 
withstanding all  the  information  we  have  derived  from  their  observa- 
tions, there  still  remain  many  mysteries  which  elude  the  most  pene- 
trating researches.  How  does  the  embryo  gain  entrance  into  the 
egg  1  and  how  does  it  acquire,  by  means  of  heat,  which  is  all  that 
it  receives  from  the  hen,  life  and  growth  1  What  power  first  puts  in 
motion  the  essential  parts  of  the  chick,  and  what  is  that  vivifying 
spirit  which,  penetrating  through  the  shell,  stimulates  the  heart  into 
action  ?  Who  has  inspired  the  birds  with  that  instinct  which  teaches 
them  to  continue  their  species,  and  inform  them  their  offspring  is  con- 
tained in  the  egg,  upon  which  they  patiently  sit  and  endure  every 
hardship  during  the  period  of  incubation  1 

To  these  questions  we  can  only  answer  with  certainty,  that  as  no- 
thing can  be  attributed  to  blind  chance,  we  look  for  the  cause  in  the 
wisdom  of  God,  which  has  ordered  that  some  animals  should  not 
arrive  at  perfection  till  after  they  have  left  the  womb  of  their  mother, 
whilst  others  remain  in  it  till  all  their  parts  are  formed  ;  and  he  who 
does  not  discover  in  the  generation  of  birds  the  proof  of  a  Superior 
Being,  will  perceive  it  nowhere.  O  man  !  spectator  of  the  glorious 
works  of  God,  adore  with  me  his  marvellous  wisdom,  and  see,  even 
in  the  meanest  objects,  the  impress  of  his  ineffable  goodness  and 
power.  He  has  created  the  birds  of  the  air  for  thy  advantage,  plea- 
sure, and  nourishment. 


APRIL  XIV. 

PROGNOSTIC  SIGNS  OF  THE  WEATHER. 

Winds,  heat,  cold,  rain,  snow,  fogs,  drought,  and  many  other 
changes  in  the  temperature  of  the  air,  do  not  always  depend  on  cer- 
tain and  regular  causes.  There  are,  however,  some  signs  in  nature 
which  often  indicate  the  kind  of  weather  about  to  take  place.  The 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


133 


Osition  of  our  globe  with  respect  to  the  sun,  which  is  known  to  us 
y  the  four  seasons  of  the  year  ;  the  changes  of  the  moon,  the  period 
of  which  can  be  exactly  determined  ;  the  influence  which  these  hea- 
venly bodies  and  the  different  planets  in  our  system  have  upon  the 
temperature,  the  agitation,  and  the  serenity  of  the  air,  are  immuta- 
ble, and  on  them  prognostics  respecting  the  weather  may  be  reason- 
ably founded.  The  consequences  drawn  from  these  are  less  to  be 
contemned,  because  they  are  established  upon  truth  and  confirmed  by 
experience.  From  analogy  we  have  a  right  from  the  past,  under 
similar  circumstances,  to  judge  of  the  future.  It  is  true,  a  thousand 
contingencies  may  affect  the  temperature  of  the  air  with  changes  as 
great  as  they  were  unexpected  ;  but  we  must  remember  that  these 
accidental  circumstances  seldom  exist  for  a  length  of  time,  and  though 
they  may  occasion  considerable  alteration  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  the  weather,  they  only  remain  for  a  short  space,  and  their  operation 
is  very  limited  :  whilst,  on  the  contrary,  the  changes  of  weather 
generally  follow  a  certain  order,  governed  by  certain  rules ;  and  the 
attentive  observer  of  nature,  by  comparing  the  experience  of  several 
years,  will  often  be  able  to  foresee  them. 

We  seldom  err  when  we  suppose  that  the  north  and  east  winds  will 
bring  cold,  the  south  wind  heat,  and  the  west  rain  ;  and  that  during 
the  north-west  wind  it  rains  in  summer  and  snows  in  winter.  We 
may  also  conjecture  with  probability,  that  when  the  morning  sky  is 
red,  there  will  be  wind  or  rain  in  the  course  of  the  day  ;  and  that  a 
sky  tinged  with  streaks  of  red  in  the  evening,  promises  fair  weather 
the  following  day.  From  the  weather  of  spring  we  anticipate  that 
of  summer  :  if  in  the  former  we  experience  much  fog,  we  may  expect 
a  wet  summer  ;  if  in  the  spring  there  are  great  floods,  we  may  be 
apprehensive  in  the  summer  of  violent  heats  and  multitudes  of  insects. 
When  storms  have  been  frequent  in  spring,  we  have  no  reason  to  fear 
the  return  of  hoar-frosts. 

But  supposing  that  we  had  no  power  of  predicting  the  weather, 
we  might  still  be  perfectly  easy  on  that  head  :  the  variations  of  wea- 
ther, considered  as  a  whole,  depend  upon  fixed  laws  established  by 
the  Creator  from  the  beginning  of  time  ;  and  we  may  with  certainty 
assure  ourselves,  that,  however  unfavourable  it  may  seem,  every 
change  of  weather  is  advantageous  to  the  earth,  and  contributes  to 
its  fertility.  Let  us,  then,  in  every  alteration  the  temperature  of  the 
air  undergoes,  repose  in  confidence  upon  that  God,  who  never  acts 
but  wisdom  and  mercy  mark  his  progress  :  whose  every  dispensation 
is  wise  and  beneficent,  whether  he  rides  in  the  whirlwind  and  directs 
the  storm,  or  smiles  in  the  beauty  of  serenity.  All  his  ways  declare 
his  goodness,  and  all  his  paths  display  his  glory  ;  wisdom  and  benig- 
nity manifest  him  in  all  his  works,  and  the  continued  experience  of 
his  benevolence  evinces  his  heavenly  care  and  fatherly  love.  Let  us 
for  ever  bless  and  adore,  whilst  we  admire  with  awe,  the  subhmity  of 
his  grandeur,  and  the  imcomprehensibihty  of  his  mercy  ;  and  from 
generation  to  generation  let  every  one  enjoying  the  breath  of  life  sing 
his  praise  and  exalt  his  name. 

12 


134 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


APRIL  XV. 

POSITION  OF  THE  SUN. 

The  sun  is  placed  by  the  Creator  in  that  part  of  the  heavens  which 
is  best  adapted  to  its  nature,  and  to  the  great  offices  it  performs.  It 
possesses  a  determinate  volume,  and  is  placed  in  a  space  proportioned 
to  the  motion  it  was  appointed  to  execute.  It  is  fixed  at  a  proper 
distance  from  those  planets  upon  which  it  is  to  act ;  and  this  position, 
arranged  so  many  thousand  years  ago,  he  has  retained  uninfluenced 
by  the  wreck  of  empires  and  the  revolutions  of  ages.  Nothing  short 
of  infinite  power  could  have  effected  such  a  miracle  ;  nothing  less 
than  an  Almighty  God  could  have  created  this  immense  globe,  placed 
it  in  a  suitable  situation,  defined  its  Umits,  determined  its  motion, 
subjected  it  to  invariable  laws,  and  preserved  it  through  the  lapse  of 
ages  in  that  position  and  order  which  in  the  beginning  he  had  pre- 
scribed to  it.  And  the  wisdom  and  advantages  of  this  arrangement, 
whether  we  consider  this  earth  alone  or  the  whole  system  of  worlds 
encircling  the  smi,  the  experience  of  centuries  amply  testify. 

The  burning  rays  that  issue  from  a  globe  of  fire  a  million  times 
larger  than  the  earth,  must  be  inconceivably  active,  if  in  falling  they 
continued  close  to  each  other  :  but  as  they  separate  more  and  more 
in  proportion  as  the  distance  from  the  common  centre  increases,  their 
force  will  be  diminished  in  the  ratio  of  their  diverging.  Had  our 
earth  been  placed  in  a  point  where  these  rays  acted  upon  it  in  a 
greater  number,  or  at  a  less  distance,  the  intensity  of  the  heat  could 
not  have  been  endured  ;  or  had  it  been  thrown  to  the  very  extremity 
of  the  solar  system,  it  would  have  received  only  a  faint  light,  and  not 
warmth  enough  to  ripen  its  fruits  and  ordinary  productions*  The 
sun  then  is  placed  in  that  part  of  the  heavens  where  it  can  be  most 
beneficial,  by  which  it  communicates  to  our  world  a  light  and  heat 
sufficient  to  penetrate  and  vivify  the  earth  by  its  salutary  rays,  rarify 
the  atmosphere,  and  produce  all  those  happy  effects  without  which 
we  should  neither  receive  the  benefits  of  dew  and  of  rain,  nor  the 
blessings  of  clear  and  serene  days.  But  arranged  as  it  is,  it  causes 
the  alternation  of  day  and  night,  and  the  vicissitudes  of  the  seasons. 

It  is  not  to  the  sun  only,  but  to  every  planet  and  star  that  shines 
in  the  firmament,  that  God  has  allotted  a  place  suited  to  its  nature 
and  adapted  to  the  ends  it  has  to  perform  in  the  creation.  Every 
human  being  has  likewise  a  place  assigned  him  in  the  creation  and 
certain  duties  to  fulfil.  And  may  we  each  attempt  to  act  in  our  sta- 
tion, and  perform  the  duties  there  allotted  us,  with  as  much  exacti- 
tude and  fidelity  as  that  with  which  the  sun  throughout  his  course 
discharges  his  important  functions,  according  to  the  immutable  laws 
prescribed  to  him  from  the  beginning  of  his  creation  !  As  the  sun  im- 
parts his  blessings  freely  to  the  whole  earth,  and  all  created  beings ; 
so  let  every  one,  according  to  his  power  and  capacity,  exert  himself 
for  the  good  of  mankind,  share  and  divide  with  his  fellow-creatures 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


135 


the  advcantages  he  enjoys,  communicate  to  tlie  ignorant  the  know- 
ledge which  he  may  have  acquired,  impart  strengtii  and  comfort  to 
the  feehle,  and  hountifuUy  distribute  to  the  indigent  those  blessings 
whicb  the  favour  of  Heaven  has  granted  to  him.  The  man  who 
thus  acts  may  feel  a  confidence  that  he  is  in  some  degree  answering 
the  great  end  of  his  creation. 


APRIL  XVI. 

THE  PERMANENCY  OF  CORPOREAL  BEINGS. 

Nothing  perishes  in  nature ;  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to 
the  present  period  not  a  single  atom  has  been  annihilated.  The  first 
groves  produced  by  the  power  of  God  were  clothed  with  rich  verdure 
and  beautiful  leaves :  these  withered,  fell,  and  ceased  to  be  leaves ; 
but  the  particles  of  which  they  were  composed  remained,  and  were 
converted  into  dust,  clay,  or  earth.  The  matter  of  which  the  first 
leaves  and  herbs  were  formed  still  exists,  and  has  lost  none  of  its 
essential  parts ;  and  the  constituent  part  of  the  plants,  which  now 
flourish,  will  exist  whilst  the  world  shall  endure.  It  is  true  the  wood 
Avhich  we  burn  ceases  to  be  wood  ;  but  its  particles  do  not  cease  to 
exist,  being  dispersed  into  ashes,  soot,  and  smoke.  And  though  na- 
ture is  subject  to  constant  changes,  every  thing  that  is  decomposed  is 
regenerated,  and  nothing  finally  perishes. 

We  must  not  always  judge  from  appearances :  when  revolutions 
and  convulsions  agitate  the  face  of  nature,  we  are  induced  to  believe 
that  many  beings  are  totally  destroyed  :  but  this  is  an  error  ;  they  are 
only  differently  modified,  and  become  the  materials  which  enter  into 
the  composition  of  other  beings.  The  water  which  exhales  in  steam 
and  vapour  is  not  lost ;  it  only  leaves  one  place  to  increase  in  another. 
Thus  what  from  want  of  information  we  regard  as  being  entirely 
destroyed,  has  only  undergone  a  change  of  parts ;  and  the  world, 
considered  in  the  whole,  is  now  what  it  was  in  the  first  day  of  its 
being,  though  many  of  its  component  parts  have  experienced  very 
considerable  alterations. 

These  considerations  may  induce  us  to  reflect  upon  the  rev^olution 
our  bodies  must  undergo  in  the  grave  ;  though  they  will  entirely  dis- 
solve into  dust,  they  will  not  be  annihilated,  but  their  component 
parts  will  continue  to  exist.  The  conviction  of  this  truth  may  fortify 
us  against  the  fear  of  the  grave  and  the  dread  of  corruption,  whilst  it 
will  strengthen  our  belief  in  the  resurrection. 

«  Why  then  shall  my  heart  sink  at  the  thought  of  the  grave,  or  my 
mind  suffer  from  the  terror  of  annihilation  !  What  is  deposited  in  the 
tornb  is  not  the  only  possession  we  have  worthy  of  our  regard  and 
solicitude  ;  it  is  merely  the  earthly  tabernacle,  which  returns  to  its 
native  dust,  whilst  the  soul  is  incorruptible  and  endures  for  ever.' 

From  the  continual  duration  of  corporeal  particles,  we  may  ra- 


136 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


tionally  conclude  that  the  soul  also  is  immortal.  Seeing  that  none  of 
our  earthly  parts  can  be  annihilated,  can  we  suppose  that  our  souls 
should  be  the  only  created  thing  which  shall  perish  1  Impossible  ! 
Sooner  would  the  whole  material  world  sink  into  annihilation,  than 
one  soul  which  has  been  redeemed  by  Christ  Jesus  should  perish. 


APRIL  XVII. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  RAIN. 

Rain  is  truly  a  gift  from  heaven,  by  means  of  which  the  blessmgs 
we  receive  from  God  are  equally  manifold  and  indispensable.  Widely 
desolating  as  the  effects  of  a  continued  drought  would  be  to  us,  as 
extensively  beneficial  are  the  refreshing  effects  of  showers  upon  the 
earth.  Who  can  describe  or  even  know  all  the  advantages  which 
result  from  them  ?  Though  we  may  not  be  able  to  describe  all,  we 
may  at  least  consider  some  of  the  principal  benefits  afforded  by  rain. 

The  heat  of  the  sun  acts  without  interruption  upon  the  earth  and 
the  different  bodies  upon  its  surface,  and  continually  detaches  from 
them  subtile  particles  which  fill  the  atmosphere  in  the  form  of  vapour. 
We  should  inspire  along  with  the  air  those  dangerous  exhalations,  if 
they  were  not  from  time  to  time  precipitated  by  rain,  which,  by  draw- 
ing them  down  upon  the  earth,  purifies  the  air.  It  is  not  less  useful 
to  us  in  moderating  the  burning  heat  of  the  atmosphere  ;  the  reason 
of  which  is  obvious,  for  the  nearer  the  air  is  to  the  earth,  the  more  it 
will  be  heated  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays,  and  the  farther  it  is 
from  the  earth  the  colder  it  becomes.  The  rain  which  falls  from  a 
high  region  brings  a  refreshing  coolness  to  those  below,  the  agreeable 
effects  of  which  we  experience  as  soon  it  has  fallen.  To  rain  is 
partly  owing  the  origin  of  fountains,  wells,  lakes,  rivulets,  and  rivers. 
Every  one  is  acquainted  with  what  abundance  these  different  waters 
are  supplied  in  humid  and  rainy  seasons,  whilst  during  a  long  drought 
they  evaporate  and  become  dry. 

But  in  order  to  estimate  the  utility  and  necessity  of  rain,  we  have 
only  to  observe  how  the  earth  and  the  different  species  of  vegetables 
all  languish  for  want  of  the  fertile  showers,  which,  when  they  have 
fallen,  produce  new  life  and  reanimated  beauty.  Rain  is  in  some 
respects  the  aliment  of  vegetables,  and  without  it  they  would  all  pe- 
rish :  it  moistens  and  softens  the  earth,  which  would  otherwise  be- 
come dry  and  hard  from  the  action  of  the  sun  ;  it  circulates  in  the 
minute  vessels  of  plants  and  trees,  and  conveys  to  them  those  nutri- 
tious juices  which  support  their  life  and  promote  their  increase. 
When  it  washes  the  mountains  it  detaches  from  them  a  soft,  rich,  and 
friable  earth,  which  it  deposits  in  the  valleys  where  it  falls,  and  thus 
contributes  to  their  fertility. 

Thus  we  find  every  thing  is  arranged  for  our  advantage,  and  the 
whole  earth  is  filled  with  the  bounty  of  Heaven.    Such  will  be  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


137 


conclusion  that  every  thinking  mind  will  draw  from  the  above  medi- 
tation :  and  still  more  to  excite  the  adoration  and  praises  of  the  Cre- 
ator, I  shall  add  some  other  reflections  inspired  by  the  subject  of  which 
we  have  been  treating,  and  which  I  hope  will  make  some  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  my  readers. 

What  spectacle  is  so  noble  as  the  azure  vault  of  heaven  viewed 
upon  a  calm  serene  day?  Our  hearts  rejoice,  and  we  regard  it  with 
admiration,  till  the  thick  clouds  gather  and  darken  all  its  beauties. 
This  ought  to  teach  us,  that  however  admirable  were  those  charms 
which  we  had  just  contemplated  with  such  dehght,  there  are  others 
which  are  infinitely  greater,  which  no  cloud  can  obscure  or  conceal, 
and  which  will  amply  reward  us  for  the  privation  of  every  other. 
What  then  are  all  the  beauties  of  nature  united,  in  comparison  of  the 
lustre  of  that  Being,  the  contemplation  of  whom  will  create  the  feli- 
city of  eternity,  and  form  the  chief  delight  of  immortal  spirits  ! 

If  at  any  time  we  are  deprived  of  those  things  which  cause  our 
greatest  pleasure  here,  we  are  more  disposed  to  search  in  almighty 
goodness  for  that  joy  and  felicity  which  we  could  not  find  in  the  perish- 
able things  of  the  world.  And  often  those  very  privations  which  we 
regret  are  productive  of  essential  good.  The  clouds  which  some- 
times veil  the  beauty  of  the  heavens  are  the  sources  of  those  refresh- 
ing showers  which  fertilize  the  earth.  When  misfortune  hangs  heavy 
upon  your  soul,  and  adversity  darkens  your  horizon  ;  when  your  days 
are  pa-ssed  in  tribulation  and  sorrow  ;  remember  there  is  an  all-seeing 
Providence,  who  regards  you  as  his  children,  and  in  the  midst  of  evil 
is  still  working  your  good.  Let  us  ever  cheerfully  submit  to  the  dis- 
pensation of  God,  who  never  acts  but  mercy  tempers  his  justice,  and 
wisdom  regulates  his  motions ;  and  he  alone  knows  how  to  distribute 
his  benefits,  and  where  to  shower  down  his  blessings.  At  his  com- 
mand the  clouds  come  from  afar  to  execute  his  will,  and  who  else 
shall  dare  to  direct  their  course  ]  Let  no  one  then  show  his  folly  and 
impiety  in  arraigning  the  wisdom  of  Providence,  and  disputing  the 
infinity  of  God ! 


APRIL  XVIII. 

OF  RESPIRATION. 

Respiration  is  the  most  principal  and  essential  function  of  animal 
life  :  without  it  we  could  not  exist ;  and  speech  and  the  various 
modulations  of  voice  could  not  take  place.  It  assists  us  in  smelling, 
and  imparts  the  beautiful  florid  colour  to  the  blood,  whilst  at  the  same 
time  it  renews  its  vitality.  But  whence  does  this  gi-eat  source  of  life 
proceed]  How  is  it  that  we  breathe]  The  lungs  are  the  chief  or- 
gans by  which  we  are  enabled  to  inspire  and  expire  the  air.  This 
vise  us  something  resembles  a  bag,  to  the  upper  part  of  which  is 
attached  a  tube,  through  which  the  air  enters,  and  is  distributed 
12*  S 


138 


STÜRiM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


throughout  the  substance  of  the  lungs  by  an  immense  number  of 
minute  ramifications  of  vessels.  When  the  air  is  received  into  the 
lungs,  the  abdomen  is  distended,  the  ribs  expand,  and  the  lower  part 
of  the  sternum  or  breast  bone  advances  forward.  When  we  expel 
the  air  in  the  act  of  expiration,  the  abdomen  is  drawn  in,  the  ribs  are 
depressed,  and  the  sternum  retires  towards  the  back. 

To  facilitate  these  operations,  nature  has  admirably  arranged  the 
internal  parts  of  the  body ;  numerous  muscles  are  continually  em- 
ployed during  the  act  of  respiration  in  dilating  and  contracting  the 
cavity  of  the  chest.  The  structure  of  the  wind-pipe  is  very  remark- 
able ;  at  the  upper  part  the  entrance  is  defended  by  a  valve,  which 
during  deglutition  closes,  and  thus  prevents  any  particles  of  matter 
entering  to  interrupt  respiration  and  destroy  life.  The  lower  portion 
of  this  organ  is  equally  curious,  whether  we  consider  the  branches  of 
the  wind-pipe  ramifying  through  the  lungs,  or  the  distribution  of  the 
veins  and  arteries  which  accompany  them,  that  the  blood  they  con- 
tain may  receive  the  beneficial  influence  of  the  air. 

Let  us  then  bless  the  God  of  nature  who  has  not  only  given  us  the 
faculty  of  respiration,  but  continues  to  preserve  it  free  from  interrup- 
tion. How  grateful  ought  we  to  be  for  such  a  merciful  preservation, 
when  so  many  accidents,  without  the  protection  of  Providence,  might 
destroy  this  source  of  life  !  Respiration  is  one  of  those  blessings  which 
we  every  moment  enjoy,  which  claims  all  the  gratitude  we  are  capa- 
ble of  feehng,  and  which  merits  our  constant  attention  ;  for  were  we 
more  frequently  to  meditate  upon  the  favours  we  daily  receive  from 
God,  we  might  be  enabled  to  contemplate  with  more  profit  and  delight 
the  whole  of  the  creation.  And  may  the  great  God  of  heaven,  in 
whose  hands  are  our  lives,  our  breath,  and  all  that  we  enjoy,  be 
pleased  to  inspire  our  souls  with  those  sentiments  which  dignify  our 
natiu'e,  and  give  us  the  power  as  well  as  the  will  to  celebrate  his 
infinite  goodness,  and  glorify  his  name  by  the  purity  of  our  actions  ! 


APRIL  XIX. 

PROOFS  OF  THE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD  DERIVED  FROM  THE  WORKS  OP 

NATURE. 

The  most  frequent  and  most  striking  phenomena  which  we  see, 
either  on  the  earth  or  in  the  air,  have  a  manifest  tendency  to  promote 
the  advantage  and  the  utility  of  the  animal  world.  All  that  we  see 
around  us,  above  our  heads,  or  beneath  oiu'  feet,  conduces  to  our  com- 
fort and  to  our  pleasures.  What  is  more  necessary  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  our  life  than  food]  and  we  find  the  earth  every  where  covered 
with  alimentary  matter.  Herbs,  grain,  and  fruits,  the  support  of  man 
and  beast,  are  so  abundantly  diffused  over  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
that  there  is  scarcely  any  part  of  it  where  animals  may  not  find  suita- 
ble nourishment.    God  has  not  confined  his  bounty  merely  to  provide 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


139 


for  our  subsistence  and  to  relieve  our  necessities  ;  he  has  condescended 
to  give  us  every  thing  that  can  contribute  to  our  comfort  and  conveni- 
ence. If  it  was  only  necessary  that  our  lives  should  be  preserved, 
water  and  common  roots  would  be  sufficient ;  but  we  are  provided 
with  a  variety  of  aliment  in  a  most  liberal  profusion  :  we  do  not 
experience  in  the  Creator  a  rigid  economist,  who  distributes  to  his 
dependants  barely  sufficient  to  preserve  them  from  famishing;  but  we 
meet  with  a  profusion  of  generosity  and  an  abundance  of  gratifications. 

Such  is  the  munificence  of  God,  that  there  is  scarcely  upon  the  face 
of  the  whole  earth  a  single  tree,  herb,  or  plant,  a  lake,  river,  or  marsh, 
that  does  not  supply  some  hving  creature  with  shelter  and  nourish- 
ment. In  a  tree,  for  instance,  are  contained  (besides  the  fruit)  bark, 
leaves,  and  wood  ;  and  each  of  these  parts  supports  an  infinite  multi- 
tude of  creatures.  Caterpillars  and  various  insects  feed  upon  the 
leaves ;  others  upon  the  bark  and  wood ;  and  there  is  nothing  in 
nature  that  is  not  useful  to  some  species  of  animal.  How  benevolent 
is  that  God  who  never  forgets  any  of  the  creatures  his  hands  have 
made,  and  who  ever  condescends  to  watch  over  and  provide  for  their 
necessities. 

*What  is  more  pleasing  than  the  light,'  (said  the  Wise  Man.) 
*  Truly  the  light  is  sweet,  and  it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  see  the  sun,' 
whose  rays  illumine  the  immense  space  of  heaven,  and  through  the 
day  enlighten  the  earth.  Light  discovers  to  us  all  the  riches  of 
nature,  which  without  it  would  be  a  desert,  and  all  its  beauties  would 
remain  unknown.  How  graciously  God  has  provided  for  the  pleasure 
of  our  senses  !  He  has  chosen  the  softest  and  most  beautiful  colours 
to  please  and  gratify  the  sight :  experience  teaches  that  ^hose  surfaces 
which  reflect  the  blue  and  the  green  rays  produce  the  least  injury  to 
the  eyes,  which  can  bear  the  sight  of  them  longer  than  any  others. 
Hence  we  find  the  goodness  of  God  has  clothed  the  heavens  with 
blue,  and  the  earth  with  green  ;  these  colours  are  sufficiently  vivid 
and  gay  to  produce  an  agreeable  impression  upon  the  eye,  whilst  they 
are  not  bright  enough  to  injure  and  fatigue.  They  have  besides  a 
sufficient  variety  of  shades  to  distinguish  objects,  and  prevent  too 
great  uniformity. 

Besides  plants  of  every  variety  of  green,  the  earth  presents  us  with 
flowers  of  the  most  beautiful  tints,  which  not  only  rejoice  the  eye  by 
the  pleasing  diversity  of  their  colours,  but  they  perfume  the  air,  and 
regale  our  smell  with  the  most  balmy  and  odoriferous  scents.  The 
ear  also  has  its  share  of  enjoyment ;  it  is  gratified  with  the  melo- 
dious warbling  of  the  birds,  that  fill  the  air  with  the  music  of  their 
songs. 

With  a  heart  overflowing  with  joy  and  gratitude,  I  venture,  O 
God  !  to  exalt  thy  name  and  to  celebrate  thy  goodness.  How  pre- 
cious is  thy  bounty !  how  loving  and  merciful  thy  paternal  care  and 
tender  regard  !  None  of  thy  creatures  are  concealed  from  thy  pre- 
sence, none  of  them  are  despised  or  disregarded  ;  but  all  without 
exception  are  the  objects  of  thy  Providence,  and  the  subjects  of  thy 
mercy  and  love.    May  thy  beneficence  and  goodness  ever  be  the 


140 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


subject  of  my  meditations,  and  may  my  soul  never  cease  to  bless  thy 
holy  name,  and  to  rejoice  in  the  songs  of  thy  praise  ! 


APRIL  XX. 

BENEFICIAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SUN  UPON   THE  CREATION. 

At  the  approach  of  spring  we  behold  revolutions  which  should  fill 
every  attentive  observer  with  admiration.  Nature  gradually  resumes 
the  life  she  seemed  to  have  lost  during  the  winter  ;  the  earth  is  over- 
spread with  verdure,  and  the  trees  open  out  in  bloom.  Every  where 
new  generations  of  insects  and  young  broods  of  animals  spring  forth, 
and,  endowed  with  various  degrees  of  instinct,  rejoice  in  their  exist- 
ence. Every  thing  is  animated,  every  thing  revives  ;  and  the  new 
life  which  is  manifested  in  nature,  in  the  vegetable  and  animal  king- 
doms, is  produced  by  the  return  of  that  warmth  which  awakens  their 
productions,  and  puts  in  motion  their  recruited  powers  ;  the  great 
cause  of  which  is  the  sun,  the  source  of  life,  sensation,  and  joy,  whose 
vivifying  rays  are  diffused  through  all  nature.  The  grain  and  seeds 
feel  his  influence,  and  are  unfolded  in  the  bosom  of  the  earth  ;  by  his 
power  every  plant  and  vegetable  springs  up  and  grows.  His  approach 
reanimates  and  strengthens  every  living  creature,  and  all  that  live, 
breathe,  feel,  or  vegetate,  experience  the  influence  of  this  powerful 
luminary. 

What  could  we  do  if  we  were  deprived  of  the  light  and  heat  of  the 
sun  ?  How  dreary  and  sad  would  the  earth  appear,  now  become  an  un- 
inhabitable desert !  And  how  miserable  and  comfortless  would  be  the 
few  creatures  that  could  then  exist !  What  a  source  of  joy  and  pure 
pleasure  should  we  be  deprived  of,  if  we  were  never  more  to  feel  the 
genial  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  nor  witness  the  beauty  of  a  serene  sky  ! 
Nothing  could  compensate  the  w^ant  of  the  sun  ;  the  mildest  night,  the 
most  temperate  artificial  heat,  could  not  supply  that  vivifying  influ- 
ence which  the  light  of  the  sun  communicates  to  every  being,  and 
which  is  entirely  different  from,  and  far  superior  to,  any  terrestrial  fire. 

The  salutary  influence  of  the  sun  is  well  known  to  men  and  ani- 
mals; an  invalid  shut  up  in  a  warm  chamber,  with  every  assistance 
of  art,  will  not  gain  in  many  weeks  as  much  strength  and  vigour  as 
he  would  in  a  few  days  from  the  mild  influence  of  the  sun  in  fine 
spring  weather.  Plants  which  an  artificial  heat  forces  to  spring  up, 
never  acquire  that  degree  of  strength  which  they  do  when  they  are 
acted  upon  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  ;  in  this  case  every  thing  conspires 
to  their  perfection,  whilst  in  those  produced  by  artificial  heat  we  only 
perceive  the  weak  and  languishing  efforts  of  art  to  supersede  nature. 

But  could  the  sun  exist,  and  communicate  to  us  his  heat  and  light, 
unless  he  had  been  formed  and  received  his  power  and  ability  of  dif- 
fusing it  upon  the  earth  by  an  infinite  God,  the  Creator  of  all  things  ] 
To  him  alone  we  must  look  up  as  the  Author  of  all  the  benefits  we 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


141 


receive  from  that  glorious  luminary  the  sun,  which  in  the  plenitude 
of  his  power  he  has  created,  and  in  the  perfection  of  his  wisdom  di- 
rects in  its  course,  and  supports  the  brilliancy  of  its  fire  and  the 
splendour  of  its  glory.  Every  morning  he  causes  it  to  gild  the  cham- 
bers of  the  east,  and  to  diffuse  its  enlivening  influence  over  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Without  God  we  should  have  neither  sun,  light,  heat, 
nor  spring  ;  to  him,  therefore,  my  soul  wishes  to  raise  itself,  and  in 
thought  to  en  joy  the  presence  of  the  immortal  Being  who  created  the 
sun  ;  the  genial  warmth  and  pure  light  of  which  dispose  me  to  reflect 
upon  this  Parent  of  light  and  glory,  this  everlasting  Fountain  of  all 
that  is  good,  amiable,  and  dehghtful.  The  ignorant  heathens.  Wind- 
ed by  superstition  and  perverted  by  prejudice,  saw  this  glorious  lumi- 
nary disperse  the  shades  of  night,  and  illumine  the  eastern  horizon  ; 
they  witnessed  the  regions  of  the  west  nightly  irradiated  by  his  de- 
parting beams,  and  they  prostrated  themselves  in  adoration,  worship- 
ping as  a  god  what  is  only  an  eflfect  of  divine  power.  But  those  who 
are  favoured  to  participate  in  the  light  of  truth  know,  that  without 
the  command  of  God  no  sun  could  exist  to  illumine  and  cheer  the 
earth ;  that  without  his  will  no  vegetation,  life,  and  fruit,  nor  any 
comforts,  could  be  administered  to  the  sons  of  men  ;  and  that  the  sun 
is  merely  the  instrument  of  his  goodness,  the  minister  of  his  will,  the 
herald  of  his  glory. 

As  the  earth,  deprived  of  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun,  would  be 
a  lifeless  desert;  so  the  heart  of  man,  deprived  of  the  Sun  of  truth 
and  righteousness,  w^ould  be  destitute  of  joy  and  true  fehcity.  To 
him  we  owe  all  the  life,  virtue,  and  happiness  our  souls  possess  ;  and 
without  his  saving  power  we  should  be  like  lifeless  trunks,  without 
leaves  or  fruit.  As  all  nature  languishes  for  the  presence  of  the  sun, 
and  longs  for  his  appearance,  so  may  my  soul  long  to  feel  the  sweet 
and  refreshing  influence  of  Christ,  which  purifieth  and  strengtheneth 
the  heart  unto  salvation,  and  is  productive  of  every  good  work. 


APRIL  XXL 

RELATIONS  THAT  ALL  CREATURES   HAVE  TO  EACH  OTHER. 

The  prodigious  number  of  creatures  on  the  earth  merits  our  atten- 
tion ;  and  still  more  so  do  the  relative  proportion  between  these  and 
the  relations  which  so  link  and  connect  this  vast  variety  of  beings, 
that  they  form  one  regular  and  perfect  whole. 

The  extent  of  the  animal  kingdom  is  inconceivable,  and  yet  every 
animal  finds  a  sufl[iciency  of  nutriment.  No  species,  however  few  in 
number,  however  persecuted,  become  extinct ;  and  though  many  of 
them  are  the  prey  of  others,  the  number  of  rapacious  animals  is  not 
considerable  ;  most  of  them  are  solitary,  and  they  do  not  multiply  ra- 
pidly. Those  which  are  very  numerous  are  satisfied  with  a  moderate 
portion  of  food,  and  procure  it  without  much  art  or  labour.  Many 


142 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


have  enemies  to  contend  with,  which  prevent  them  from  increasing 
too  much  ;  and  some  weak  and  timid  animals  supply  in  number  what 
they  want  in  strength,  or  escape  from  their  adversaries  by  the  artifices 
of  cunning  and  the  dexterity  of  address.  We  may  also  remark,  that 
for  the  better  preservation  and  multiplication  of  the  species,  the  pro- 
portion between  the  two  sexes  is  so  equal,  that  every  animal  finds  a 
mate  with  which  it  may  consort. 

The  mineral  kingdom  is  subservient  to  the  preservation  of  tlie 
vegetable,  and  both  of  them  tend  to  the  advantage  of  man.  The 
most  useful  plants,  as  wheat,  &c.  are  most  easily  multiplied,  are  less 
liable  to  spoil,  and  grow  wherever  there  are  men  and  animals.  Those 
animals  also  w^hich  are  the  most  useful  are  likewise  the  most  abun- 
dant ;  and  the  productions  of  several  climates  are  suited  to  the  parti- 
cular wants  of  men.  Thus  the  hottest  countries  abound  in  cooling 
and  grateful  fruits  ;  in  countries  liable  to  great  drought  there  are 
plants  and  trees  w^hich  are  as  springs  of  W'ater,  and  relieve  the  in- 
tense thirst  of  men  and  animals.  If  in  any  place  there  it  a  defi- 
ciency of  wood  for  fuel,  there  are  coals  and  turf  in  abundance  ;  and 
if  there  are  countries  destitute  of  rain  and  other  sources  of  fertility, 
they  are  recompensed  by  beneficial  inundations,  such  as  of  the  Nile 
in  Egypt. 

Amongst  the  human  species  we  also  find  the  proportion  betw^een 
the  sexes  pretty  even  ;  the  number  of  males  to  that  of  females  being 
as  twenty-six  to  twenty-five.  In  civil  society  w^ealth  and  talents  are 
so  admirably  distributed,  that  as  every  individual  may  be  happ37^  ac- 
cording to  the  particular  circumstances  in  which  he  is  placed,  so  no- 
thing essential  is  wanting  to  the  good  of  societ}^  in  general.  If  the 
inchnations  and  propensities  of  men  w^ere  not  so  varied  ;  if  their 
tastes  and  dispositions  did  not  lead  them  to  embrace  different  kinds  of 
life,  and  to  adopt  different  vie\vs  ;  if  there  was  not  such  a  diversity  of 
genius,  and  such  a  variety  of  talent ;  such  a  diflference  of  opinion 
respecting  beauty,  riches,  and  every  other  exterior  circumstance  ;  hu- 
man society  w^ould  have  no  charms  to  interest,  no  pleasures  to  invite, 
but  would  present  one  constant  assemblage  of  uniform  sterility.  No 
class  of  men  can  live  isolated  from  the  rest ;  and  each  country  has 
its  peculiar  advantages,  which,  if  common  to  all,  would  do  aw^ay  the 
necessity  of  the  connexion  and  commerce  at  present  so  essential  to 
the  interest  and  convenience  of  each.  In  short,  ^vherever  we  cast 
our  view  we  see  nothing  but  harmony  and  beautiful  proportion.  Not- 
withstanding the  infinite  variety  of  creatures,  and  the  frequent  inter- 
ruption of  some  of  the  laws  of  nature,  every  thing  in  this  immense 
universe  is  beautiful,  and  arranged  wdth  the  regular  proportion  and 
admirable  perfection  which  produce  the  greatest  possible  good  to  the 
creation. 

Let  us  then  adore  and  exalt  the  great  Author  of  nature,  and  w^hilst 
we  contemplate  the  glory  and  magnificence  of  his  works,  sing  his 
praises  with  the  gratitude  of  an  overflowing  heart !  The  greatest 
proofs,  and  the  most  pleasing  employment,  of  reason,  is  to  admire  the 
wisdom  of  God ;  and  though  the  most  profound  investigations  can 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


143 


penetrate  througli  a  very  small  part  of  the  glory  which  shrouds  the 
works  of  Omniscience,  and  the  most  that  we  can  know  is  little  in 
comparison  of  what  is  concealed  from  our  view,  we  yet,  discover  suffi- 
cient to  convince  us  that  the  perfection  of  God  is  infinite,  and  his 
power  and  goodness  without  hounds  ;  and  may  he  graciously  conde- 
scend more  and  more  to  remove  the  film  from  our  eyes,  that  we  may 
acknowledge  him  in  all  his  works,  and  feel  in  ourselves  a  degree  of 
that  divine  peace  and  ineffable  love  with  which  he  governs  the  uni- 
verse and  arranges  the  spheres  ! 


APRIL  XXIL 

OF  THE   CONSTITUENT  PARTS  OF  WATER. 

When  we  drink  water,  if  we  suppose  that  we  are  partaking  of  a 
pure  and  simple  element,  we  are  deceived  ;  for  naturalists  affirm  that 
each  drop  of  water  is  a  little  world,  in  which  the  four  elements  and 
the  three  kingdoms  of  nature  are  united.  There  is  scarcely  any 
water  that  does  not  contain  much  heterogeneous  matter,  which  is 
readily  discovered  when  the  water  is  either  distilled  or  filtered  :  and 
however  incredible  this  may  appear,  it  is  sufficiently  proved  by  the 
most  exact  and  accurate  experiments. 

Besides  its  elementary  parts,  water  contains  different  earthy  parti- 
cles ;  such,  for  example,  as  belong  to  the  mineral  kingdom  ;  as  cal- 
careous earths,  nitre,  and  other  salts.  This  will  appear  less  remark- 
able if  we  consider  how  many  earthy  particles  the  water  must  meet 
with  and  dissolve  in  its  course,  or  carry  along  with  it.  Water  also 
contains  an  inflammable  principle,  which  becomes  manifest  when  in 
a  state  of  corruption  ;  and  it  contains  a  large  portion  of  air,  which  is 
manifested  during  ebullition.  It  possesses  heat,  which  keeps  it  in  its 
fluid  state  ;  for  when  deprived  of  its  caloric  it  is  congealed,  becomes 
heavy,  and  acquires  the  hardness  of  stone.  Thus  common  water 
contains  earth,  salts,  hydrogen  or  inflammable  gas,  heat,  and  air ; 
which  proves  the  truth  of  the  assertion,  that  all  the  elements  are 
united  in  a  single  drop  of  water. 

But  are  plants  and  animals  found  in  it  1  It  certainly  contains  the 
principles  of  vegetation  ;  since  all  plants  derive  from  water  their  most 
nutritive  juices,  and  are  indebted  to  it  for  their  growth  and  increase. 
As  to  the  animal  kingdom,  there  is  abundant  evidence  of  its  existing 
in  water ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  fish  and  other  aquatic  animals  with 
which  it  is  peopled,  there  is  not  a  single  drop  of  water  which  has  not 
inhabitants  perceptible  through  the  microscope ;  and  we  well  know 
the  facility  with  which  insects  are  propagated  in  stagnant  waters, 
the  germ  of  which  must  have  previously  existed  in  the  water,  though 
certain  circumstances  might  have  prevented  their  development. 

The  consideration  of  all  these  particulai  s  should  lead  us  to  reflect 
upon  the  wise  providence  of  the  Creator,  w^ho  has  not  by  chance 


144 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


formed  the  waters  of  so  many  parts.  Were  it  purely  simple,  it  might 
perhaps  make  the  most  pure  beverage  ;  but  its  medicinal  virtues 
would  be  lost.  From  the  great  nutriment  ^vhich  it  affords  to  plants, 
we  may  naturally  suppose  that  it  yields  some  of  the  nutritious  pro- 
perties it  contains  to  men  and  animals ;  and  though  in  itself  it  may 
not  be  very  nutritious,  it  tends  to  the  more  perfect  solution  of  our  ali- 
ment, and  to  distribute  it  more  readily  through  the  minuter  vessels. 
It  is  found  to  be  the  most  wholesome  beverage,  and  one  which  v/e 
cannot  do  without ;  the  salutary  effects  of  which  are  often  felt  when 
every  other  drink  is  prejudicial. 

How  grateful  then  ought  we  to  be  to  God,  whose  goodness  has  so 
amply  provided  for  our  necessities  !  He  has  prepared  for  us  that  kind 
of  food  and  drink  which  is  fittest  for  our  nature,  and  the  most  bene- 
ficial to  our  comfort  and  health ;  and  he  has  imparted  a  salutary 
virtue  to  the  most  ordinary  and  indispensable  means  of  subsistence. 
Let  us  therefore  praise  God  for  the  water  which  he  has  given  to  allay 
our  thirst,  and  digest  our  food  ;  and  though  we  should  have  nothing 
but  bread  and  water  for  our  sustenance,  let  us  endeavour  to  be  con- 
tented and  grateful.  Let  us  implore  the  blessing  of  God  on  what  we 
eat,  and  ask  grace  to  use  it  with  a  cheerful  and  contented  mind. 


APRIL  XXIII. 

PROPAGATION  OF  PLANTS. 

Vegetables  are  in  general  propagated  from  seed,  and  in  most  plants 
the  flowers  produce  the  seeds  which  are  to  continue  and  preserve 
their  fertility.  Almost  all  flowers  are  folded  within  a  bud,  where 
they  are  secretly  formed,  being  defended  by  their  tunics  and  external 
leaves.  When  the  sap  begins  to  flow  abundantly  at  the  beginning  of 
spring,  the  blossom  swells,  tlie  bud  expands,  the  tunics  open  and  fall 
off,  leaving  the  flower  in  naked  beauty.  We  perceive  on  the  outside 
some  very  small  leaves  of  different  colours,  which  serve  to  defend  the 
organs  of  fructification,  and  probably  to  prepare  the  nutritious  juice 
which  enters  those  parts.  It  is,  however,  in  the  centre  of  the  flower 
that  we  discover  the  organs  of  fructification.  We  find  there  a  filament 
or  stem,  called  the  pistil,  which,  particularly  in  tulips,  rises  pretty  high. 
Round  the  pistil  are  the  stamina,  capped  with  tops  which  contain  a 
prolific  dust,  tinged  of  various  hues.  These  stamina  may  be  con- 
sidered as  the  proper  male  organs,  destined  to  impregnate  the  germs, 
and  the  pistil  the  female  part  which  receives  the  fertilizing  dust. 

Vegetables  are  also  propagated  by  grafts.  From  the  tender  branch 
of  a  tree,  when  in  sap,  they  detach  an  eye  or  beginning  of  a  branch, 
with  a  part  of  the  bark,  and  insert  it  between  the  bark  and  wood  cf 
another  tree,  and  bind  up  the  whole  very  gently,  by  passing  flax  or 
some  soft  cord  several  times  round  it.  From  this  there  proceeds  a 
branch  of  the  same  nature  with  the  tree  from  which  the  eye  was  first 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


145 


taken,  although  the  tree  in  which  it  is  inserted  be  of  a  quite  different 
sort. 

Trees  and  other  woody  plants  are  propagated  by  slips :  thus,  for 
instance,  a  slip  is  taken  from  a  willow,  which,  after  being  stripped  of 
its  small  sprigs,  is  deposited  in  the  ground  ;  roots  soon  proceed  from 
those  places  where  branches  had  begun  to  appear,  and  in  time  it 
becomes  a  tree. 

Another  way  of  propagating  vegetables  is  by  means  of  roots  ;  but 
these  should  have  eyes^  or  they  will  not  grow.  Some  plants  shoot 
forth  long  filaments  in  all  directions,  which  have  knots  or  eyes  ;  these 
extend  their  fibres  in  the  ground,  which  become  so  many  new  feet 
that  may  be  separated  from  each  other,  and  then  form  new  plants. 
A  bulbous  root  is  a  species  of  eye  in  which  the  rudiments  of  the 
future  plant  are  enclosed,  and  between  its  leaves  are  little  bulbs  or 
eyes,  which  enable  the  plant  to  be  propagated  by  the  leaves  to  which 
these  bulbs  are  attached. 

What  a  variety  of  causes  are  requisite  for  the  production,  preserva- 
tion, and  propagation  of  vegetables  !  Granting  that  the  germs  al- 
ready existed,  what  art  is  required  to  effect  their  development,  to  give 
growth  to  the  plant,  to  preserve  it  when  arrived  at  maturity,  and  to 
perpetuate  its  species  !  How  fruitful  a  mother  must  the  earth  be,  in 
whose  bosom  so  many  tender  plants  are  cherished  and  derive  their 
nutriment !  Water,  which  also  contributes  to  their  support,  must  be 
composed  of  all  those  particles,  the  assemblage  of  which  favours  the 
germination  of  plants.  The  sun  must  put  all  these  in  motion,  and 
cause  the  seeds  to  germinate  and  the  fruits  to  be  matured,  by  the  vivi- 
fying influence  of  his  heat. 

It  was  necessary  to  establish  a  proper  balance  and  a  just  proportion 
between  plants,  that  on  the  one  hand  they  might  not  multiply  too 
fast,  and  on  the  other  that  there  might  always  be  a  suflficient  abun- 
dance. It  was  requisite  that  the  texture,  vessels,  fibres,  and  every 
part  of  the  plant,  should  be  so  disposed  that  the  sap  might  penetrate 
them,  circulate,  and  be  so  prepared  and  digested,  that  the  plant  might 
receive  its  proper  form,  size,  and  strength.  It  was  necessary  to  deter- 
mine exactly  what  plants  should  spring  up  of  themselves,  and  what 
others  should  require  the  care  and  cultivation  of  man.  The  work  of 
the  generation  and  propagation  of  plants  is  then  so  complicated  and 
intricate,  and  passes  through  so  many  different  processes,  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  develop  the  great  chain  of  causes  and  effects 
which  produce  such  wonderful  changes.  However,  we  know  suflfi- 
cient  to  acknowledge  the  wisdom  and  beneficence  of  the  Creator  ; 
for  who  else  could  have  communicated  to  the  elements  the  power  of 
perpetuating  vegetables  1  or  have  given  to  the  sun  that  light  and  heat, 
the  blessed  effects  of  which  upon  the  earth  are  so  abundantly  con- 
spicuous ?  It  is  God  alone  who  has  created  the  constituent  parts  of 
plants,  and  who  has  dispersed  them  in  the  air,  in  the  waters,  and 
upon  the  earth  ;  who  has  established  the  laws  of  motion,  formed  the 
j  '  atmosphere,  and  produced  the  sources  of  rain  and  clouds.  It  is  God 
I  who  giveth  life  to  seeds,  and  existence  and  increase  to  vegetables  ;  by 
13  T 


146 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


his  order  the  earth  yearly  renews  her  fruits,  and  each  spring  restores 
the  youth  of  nature,  and  each  summer  perfects  her  beauty.  Let  us 
then  for  ever  celebrate  the  power,  the  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  the 
great  Creator  of  plants  as  well  as  of  men !  Let  earth  and  heaven 
proclaim  how  great  and  glorious  is  his  holy  name,  now  and  through 
all  eternity. 


APRIL  XXIV. 

DIVERSITY  OF  TRAITS  IN  THE  HUMAN  COUNTENANCE. 

It  is  an  evident  proof  of  the  adorable  wisdom  of  God,  that  though 
the  bodies  of  men  are  so  similar  to  each  other  in  their  essential  parts, 
there  is  yet  such  a  diversity  in  their  exterior,  that  they  can  be  readily 
distinguished  without  the  liabihty  of  error.  Amongst  the  many  mil- 
lions of  men  existing  in  the  universe,  there  are  no  two  that  are  per- 
fectly similar  to  each  other  :  each  one  has  some  peculiarity  por- 
trayed in  his  countenance,  or  remarkable  in  his  speech  ;  and  this 
diversity  of  countenance  is  the  more  singular,  because  the  parts  which 
compose  it  are  very  few,  and  in  each  person  they  are  disposed  accord- 
ing to  the  same  plan.  If  all  things  had  been  produced  by  blind 
chance,  the  countenances  of  men  might  have  resembled  one  another 
as  nearly  as  balls  cast  in  the  same  mould,  or  drops  of  v/ater  out  of  the 
same  bucket :  but  as  that  is  not  the  case,  we  must  admire  the  infinite 
w^isdom  of  the  Creator,  which,  in  thus  diversifying  the  traits  of  the 
human  countenance,  has  manifestly  had  in  view  the  happiness  of 
men ;  for  if  they  resembled  each  other  perfectly,  they  could  not  be 
distinguished  from  one  another,  to  the  utter  confusion  and  detriment 
of  society.  We  should  never  be  certain  of  life,  nor  of  the  peaceable 
possession  of  our  property  ;  thieves  and  robbers  would  run  little  risk 
of  detection,  for  they  could  neither  be  distinguished  by  the  traits  of 
the  countenance  nor  the  sound  of  their  voice.  Adultery,  and  every 
crime  that  stains  humanity,  might  be  practised  Avith  impunity,  since 
the  guilty  would  rarely  be  discovered;  and  we  should  be  continually 
exposed  to  the  machinations  of  the  villain  and  the  malignity  of  the 
coward  :  w^e  could  not  shelter  ourselves  from  the  confusion  of  mistake, 
nor  from  the  treachery  and  fraud  of  the  deceitful ;  all  the  efforts  of 
justice  would  be  useless,  and  commerce  would  be  the  prey  of  error 
and  imcertainty  :  in  short,  the  uniformity  and  perfect  similarity  of 
faces  would  deprive  society  of  its  most  endearing  charms,  and  destroy 
the  pleasure  and  sweet  gratification  of  individual  friendship.  The 
variety  of  features,  then,  constitutes  part  of  the  plan  of  divine  go- 
vernment, and  is  a  strong  proof  of  God's  tender  care  over  us  ;  for  it  is 
very  evident  that  he  has  disposed  the  particular  parts  of  the  body 
with  as  much  wisdom  as  he  has  manifested  in  its  general  structure, 
and  we  are  compelled  to  admire  his  beautiful  and  wise  arrangement 
in  this  as  well  as  in  every  other  part  of  the  creation. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


147 


APRIL  XXV. 

THE  UNIVERSAL  CARE  OF  GOD  OVER  HIS  CREATURES. 

All  the  creatures  which  live  in  the  air,  in  the  waters,  and  upon  the 
earth,  enjoy  the  care  of  Providence  ;  by  which  they  are  maintained 
in  their  particular  states,  and  live,  thrive,  and  propagate  their  species  ; 
each  according  to  the  faculties  it  has  received,  and  in  its  own  par- 
ticular nature,  fulfilling  the  end  for  which  it  had  existence  upon 
the  earth.  Animals  destitute  of  reason  are  provided  with  organs, 
strength,  and  sagacity,  adapted  to  their  several  destinations.  Their 
instinct  teaches  them  what  is  dangerous  or  hurtful,  and  enables  them 
to  seek,  discern,  and  prepare,  the  aliment  and  the  habitation  destined 
for  them.  All  this  is  involuntary,  it  is  not  the  result  of  choice  and 
reflection  ;  they  are  irresistibly  impelled  to  it  by  propensities  which  a 
Superior  Power  has  given  them  for  the  preservation  and  support  of 
their  lives.  The}^  find  suitable  food  and  convenient  habitations,  and 
no  species  of  animals  is  destitute  of  what  is  necessary  to  its  subsist- 
ence and  well-being. 

Man  is  of  a  superior  nature,  but  he  comes  into  the  world  in  a  state 
of  greater  feebleness,  and  has  much  more  need  of  assistance  than 
most  other  animals.  His  faculties,  necessities,  and  desires,  are  greater 
and  more  numerous,  as  well  as  more  urgent,  and  require  more  care 
and  attention  :  hence  we  find  he  is  more  favoured  with  the  regard, 
and  more  cherished  by  the  blessings  of  divine  Providence.  The 
earth,  the  air,  and  the  water,  the  clouds,  and  the  reflected  light  of 
the  luminous  spheres  revolving  in  space,  contribute  in  an  abundant 
and  diversified  manner  to  the  preservation  and  happiness  of  man. 
God  has  distributed  his  blessings  to  all  intelligent  beings  with  an  im- 
partial love,  and  he  has  subjected  to  their  dominion  creatures  destitute 
of  reason,  whose  lives  and  strength  are  employed  in  their  service. 

What  again  particularly  merits  our  attention  is,  that  all  the  habita- 
ble parts  of  the  earth  afford  a  sufficient  degree  of  nutriment  to  the 
creatures  which  live  there.  Thus,  not  only  the  fertile  bosom  of  the 
earth,  but  the  vast  plains  of  air,  and  the  depths  of  the  sea,  teem  with 
alimentary  matter  suitable  for  the  support  of  the  innumerable  multi- 
tudes that  exist  in  these  elements.  The  treasures  of  divine  bounty 
are  infinite  ;  and  the  provision  that  God  has  prepared  for  all  his  crea- 
tures answer  every  want,  supply  every  necessity,  and  can  never  be 
exhausted.  The  world  does  not  decay,  and  the  sun  daily  shines  with 
his  wonted  light  and  accustomed  heat.  The  fertility  of  the  earth 
does  not  diminish  ;  the  seasons  regularly  succeed  each  other  ;  and 
the  fields  never  fail  to  oflfer  their  annual  tribute  of  fruit  for  the  support 
of  the  animal  world. 

Whether  we  consider  the  constancy,  the  riches,  or  the  diversity  of 
the  means  of  subsistence  which  nature  affords  in  all  situations,  we 
always  perceive  the  traces  of  an  all-bountiful  Providence.  All  things 
which  surround  us,  and  which  serve  to  support  us  and  procure  the 


148 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


comforts  and  pleasures  of  life,  are  so  many  visible  means,  so  many 
open  channels,  by  which  our  Preserver  and  glorious  Benefactor  distri- 
butes his  favours  and  diffuses  his  blessings.  The  agents  of  nature  are 
the  ministers  which  fulfil  the  designs  of  Providence  ;  the  world  is  as 
his  magazine,  from  which  we  draw  all  that  we  need  ;  and  it  is  only 
to  his  parental  care,  and  that  ineffable  goodness,  the  essence  of  divine 
nature,  that  we  owe  all  these  benefits. 

Father  of  the  creation  !  in  whom  we  have  life,  motion,  and  being, 
how  extensive  and  inexpressible  is  thy  compassion,  and  how  merci- 
fully thou  rulest  all  things  by  the  word  of  thy  wisdom  !  At  thy  com- 
mand the  dews  of  heaven  descend  to  refresh  the  thorn  as  well  as  the 
cedar,  and  the  lot  of  mortals  is  in  thy  hands,  and  in  thee  their  felicity: 
thou  art  their  supreme  good,  and  thy  fatherly  cares  are  extended  over 
all  the  children  of  humanity  !  Thy  merciful  goodness  causeth  the 
Bun  to  shine  alike  on  all  thy  creation ;  and  at  thy  command  the  gen- 
tle breezes  waft  the  perfuming  balm  of  the  rose,  and  the  air  smells 
sweet  with  ever-freshening  odours  ;  the  most  delicious  fruits  rejoice 
our  taste,  and  the  soft  showers  fall  to  revive  drooping  nature  !  Thy 
gifts  are  proportioned  to  the  necessities  of  thy  creatures,  and  thou 
causest  the  righteous  to  partake  of  the  sweet  and  saving  influence  of 
thy  grace  !  Thou  givest  to  the  bee  the  nectar  of  the  flowers,  to  the 
worm  the  drop  that  quenches  his  thirst,  and  to  the  world  the  rays  of 
the  sun  I 


APRIL  XXVL 

FLOWERS  WHICH  BLOOM  IN  APRIL. 

The  nearer  that  charming  month  approaches,  when  we  shall  see 
the  country,  gardens,  and  meadows,  arrayed  in  all  their  beauty,  the 
more  does  the  dreary  aspect  we  have  so  long  witnessed  clear  up,  and 
nature  more  evidently  throws  off  her  wild  appearance.  Every  day^ 
discloses  some  new  beauty,  and  every  hour  hastens  the  perfection  of 
nature.  The  fresh  grass  already  sprung  up  is  browsed  by  the  flocks 
with  avidity ;  the  young  corn  begins  to  appear,  and  the  gardens  to 
smile.  Here  and  there  the  budding  flowers  invite  our  attention  ;  and 
the  sweetly-modest  violet  is  one  of  the  earliest  that  scents  the  air  of 
spring.  The  flowerets  of  the  beauteous  hyacinth,  gradually  rising 
above  the  leaves,  at  once  please  the  eye  and  gratify  the  smell,  by  the 
richness  of  their  tints  and  the  fragrance  of  their  perfume. 

The  imperial  crown  throAVs  out  a  number  of  stellated  leaves  ;  its 
stem  rises  high,  and  its  red  and  yellow  bell-shaped  flowers  inchning 
towards  the  earth,  form  a  sort  of  crown  surmounted  by  a  tuft  of 
leaves.  From  the  midst  of  its  leaves  the  auricula  raises  its  stem, 
supporting  a  bunch  of  flowers,  the  circular  edge  of  which  exceeds  the 
richness  of  velvet  and  the  softness  of  satin.  The  tulip  opens  out 
more  slowly,  scarcely  yet  daring  to  unfold  its  beauty,  lest  the  night 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


149 


air  or  chilling  blasts  should  suddenly  nip  its  opening  charms  and 
destroy  its  infant  splendour.  The  ranunculus,  the  pink,  and  the  rose, 
hide  their  beauties  till  milder  weather  permits  them  to  bloom  in 
safety. 

An  attentive  observer  will  find  in  these  delightful  objects  great 
cause  to  admire  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God;  it  is  with  the 
wisest  views  that,  at  the  return  of  spring,  each  plant  begins  precisely 
in  the  time  and  in  the  order  prescribed  to  it  to  develop  its  leaves,  put 
forth  its  buds,  and  prepare  for  the  production  of  fruit. 

In  the  vegetable  kingdom  one  species  succeeds  to  another  from  the 
commencement  to  the  termination  of  the  year  ;  scarcely  are  some 
visible  when  others  are  ready  to  appear,  and  these  are  followed  by 
others,  which  spring  up  each  in  its  turn  and  allotted  time.  Whilst 
one  plant  brings  its  fruit  to  maturity,  nature  excites  another  to  propa- 
gate, that  its  fruits  may  be  ready  when  the  other  has  accomplished  its 
end.  Thus  we  constantly  receive  a  succession  of  flowers  and  fruits  ; 
there  is  never  any  want,  and  from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other 
Nature  watches  over  and  preserves  her  productions. 

The  flowers  of  spring,  which  w^e  contemplate  with  so  much  de- 
light, should  induce  us  to  reflect  upon  youth,  the  flower  and  spring  of 
life.  Like  them,  youth  grow  up  amiable  and  beautiful,  with  a  thou- 
sand charms  and  opening  virtues  that  cause  them  to  be  admired  and 
loved  ;  but  as  the  north  wind  sometimes  sweeps  over  the  fairest  flow- 
ers of  spring,  blasting  in  its  course  the  rich  hyacinth  and  the  lovely 
violet,  so  the  pride  of  beauty  and  the  glory  of  youth  are  often  nipped 
in  the  bud,  and  fade  ere  their  opening  charms  are  perfected.  Beset 
with  dangers  and  surrounded  by  misfortune,  the  horizon  of  youth  often 
lowers,  and  obscurity  renders  dreary  their  morn  of  life ;  or  if  brighter 
prospects  gladden  their  path,  they  are  suddenly  wrapped  in  night,  and 
involved  in  gloom.  Let  no  one,  then,  in  the  vanity  of  his  heart,  boast 
because  he  abounds  in  the  pleasures  of  youth,  or  exult  in  his  superior 
endowments :  for  the  days  of  man  are  as  grass  ;  as  a  flower  of  the 
field  he  flourisheth ;  the  wind  passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone,  and  the 
place  thereof  shall  know  it  no  more.'* 


APRIL  XXVII. 

RETURN  OF  THE  BIRDS. 

Numerous  species  of  birds  at  the  beginning  of  winter  emigrate  to 
other  countries ;  some  in  search  of  a  milder  climate  and  others  to  find 
secure  retreats  and  warm  shelter  in  caves,  holes,  and  retired  places. 
These  birds  return  to  us  when  the  gentle  mildness  of  the  spring  ad- 
vances ;  it  soon  awakens  the  swallows,  and  a  secret  instinct  brings 
back  the  others  which  had  traversed  the  seas  to  far-distant  countries, 


13* 


♦  Psal.  ciii.  16. 


150 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


in  seaich  of  that  subsistence  and  temperature  which  their  nature 
required. 

Their  return  is  generally  in  such  an  order,  that  those  which  went 
away  the  latest  are  the  first  which  come  back.  The  air  will  soon 
become  repeopled  with  its  feathered  songsters  ;  the  nightingale  will 
again  rejoice  the  groves  with  its  melody,  the  twittering  swallow 
resume  her  former  nest,  and  the  stork  again  inhabit  the  retreat  she 
left  at  the  beginning  of  winter.  In  a  few  weeks  the  skies  will  once 
more  be  gladdened  with  the  joyful  songs  of  the  returning  choristers, 
and  the  valleys  will  resound  with  their  swelling  notes. 

Two  circumstances  in  the  emigration  of  birds  particularly  claim  our 
attention  ;  they  know  exactly  the  time  when  to  return,  and  the 
direction  they  are  to  take.  '  The  stork  in  heavens  knoweth  her  ap- 
pointed time  ;  and  the  turtle  and  the  crane,  and  the  swallow,  observe 
the  time  of  their  coming.'*  No  doubt  the  temperature  of  the  air,  and 
the  natural  propensity  of  creatures  to  produce  and  rear  up  their  young, 
are  powerful  motives  to  influence  them  to  a  change  of  abode.  But 
besides  these,  there  is  a  very  singular  and  in  some  respects  inapplica- 
ble, instinct,  which  prompts  them  to  it.  How  astonishing,  that  these 
timid  animals  deprived  of  reason,  should  know  exactly  the  direction 
they  are  to  take,  and  how  far  to  go  !  Without  compass  to  steer,  and 
guide  to  direct,  without  provisions,  they  undertake  and  finish,  in  the 
most  regular  order,  a  voyage  which  is  sometimes  many  hundred  miles 
in  extent ! 

Who  marks  out  to  them  their  tract  through  the  devious  air  ?  Who 
informs  them  of  the  length  of  the  way  they  have  passed,  and  of  that 
they  have  yet  to  accomplish?  And  who  is  it  that  guides  their  flight 
and  supplies  them  with  every  necessary  during  the  voyage  1  Which- 
ever way  we  consider  these  facts,  we  must  discover  and  acknowledge 
the  manifestation  of  a  power  superior  to  mere  animal  instinct ;  we 
must  confess  the  influence  of  God,  and  own  the  eflfects  of  his  Almighty 
power.  It  is  to  him  the  birds  are  indebted  for  that  instinct  w^hich 
they  blindly  obey  ;  he  pointeth  out  to  them  the  country,  and  the  very 
trees  and  shelter,  where  they  may  dwell  in  security  ;  he  conducteth 
their  distant  migrations,  and  listeneth  to  their  cries  when  they  call  for 
nourishment ;  and  he  who  hearkeneth  unto  the  feeble  birds  will  never 
forsake  his  children,  nor  sufier  the  deserving  to  perish. 


APRIL  XXVIII. 

THE  UTILITY  OF  FORESTS. 

During  the  winter,  which  is  just  past,  many  people  have  experi- 
enced the  great  advantage  of  forests  ;  which  have  furnished  us  with 
fuel  at  a  time  when  the  intensity  of  the  cold  was  severely  felt.  But 

♦  Jer.  viii.  17. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


151 


this  is  far  from  being  their  only,  or  even  their  principal,  use  ;  else  why 
do  those  immense  forests  exist,  to  form  an  uninterrupted  chain  through 
whole  provinces  and  kingdoms  ? 

May  not  one  end  of  their  creation  be  the  pleasure  we  derive  from 
their  appearance  1  they  form  one  of  the  greatest  beauties  of  nature, 
and  it  is  always  regarded  as  an  imperfection  in  a  country  to  be  desti- 
tute of  woods  and  thickets.  Our  impatience  when  the  leaves  in  spring 
are  backward  in  appearing,  and  the  delight  we  experience  when  at 
length  they  open  out,  proves  how  much  they  adorn  and  embellish 
nature.  Whilst  reflecting  upon  the  utility  of  woods,  we  should  not 
forget  the  fruits  which  the  numerous  species  of  trees  produce  ;  for 
though  there  are  some  trees  whose  fruits  do  not  appear  to  be  of  any 
use  to  man,  the  trees  which  bear  them  are  always  useful,  whether  for 
their  beauty  only,  or  the  advantages  of  their  foliage  and  wood. 

And  if  we  properly  reflect,  we  shall  acknowledge  that  those  trees 
which  are  called  barren  are  nevertheless  of  great  use  ;  they  nourish 
and  support  a  variety  of  insects,  which  serve  as  food  for  those  birds 
which  afford  us  sustenance  and  the  most  exquisite  dainties.  The 
acorns  of  the  several  species  of  oaks,  chestnuts,  and  various  other 
productions  of  trees,  are  the  favourite  aliment  of  swine  and  wild  boars  : 
and  have  we  not  sometimes  known  these  fruits  become  the  food  of 
man  ?  And  they  are  farther  useful  in  being  the  seed  which  perpetu- 
ates the  forests.  How  many  animals  find  a  shelter  and  an  existence 
in  the  woods,  which  without  them  must  perish  !  and  of  how  many 
conveniences,  utensils,  and  medicines,  should  we  not  be  deprived,  if 
we  had  no  wood,  bark,  or  roots  !  and  how  dull  and  sterile  would  the 
earth  appear,  if  no  trees  Avaved  their  verdant  heads  above  its  surface, 
and  if  no  groves  diversified  its  plains  !  Forests  then  being  of  the  most 
essential  use  to  mankind.  Nature  herself  has  the  care  of  perpetuating 
them.  If  their  preservation  and  increase  had  been  abandoned  to  the 
casual  vigilance  and  industry  of  men,  they  would  long  since  have 
perished.  But  the  Creator  himself  has  preserved  the  trees  of  the 
forest ;  he  alone  has  planted  and  supported  them.  He  disperses  the 
small  seeds  over  the  coimtry,  and  gives  them  wins^s,  that  they 
may  be  more  easily  wafted  by  the  wings  to  the  distant  places  destined 
to  receive  them.  He  alone  has  caused  those  large  trunks  to  rise  up 
majestically  in  the  air,  and  meet  the  clouds  with  their  spreading 
foliage  ;  it  is  he  who  has  established  them  firmly  in  the  earth,  where 
their  branching  roots  enable  them  to  defy  the  winds  and  brave  the 
storm  ;  and  he  waters  them  with  his  dew,  and  refreshes  them  with 
his  rain  ;  their  beautiful  verdure  yearly  returns,  and  they  seem  to 
preserve  a  perpetual  life. 

Merciful  Father  !  thy  goodness  extends  over  all  the  earth ;  every 
where  the  traces  of  thy  beneficence  and  the  effects  of  thy  wisdom 
appear ;  in  the  fields  and  in  the  groves,  in  the  wild  desert  and  in  the 
flowery  mead,  thou  hast  erected  monuments  of  thy  goodness,  and 
placed  memorials  of  thy  bounty  ;  and  the  season  is  now  approaching 
when  I  can  sit  beneath  the  shade  of  the  spreading  oaks,  and,  whilst 
my  heart  swells  with  love  and  gratitude,  pour  forth  the  feelings  of  my 


152 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


soul  in  songs  of  joy  and  hymns  of  adoration  in  praise  of  thee,  and  in 
celebration  of  thy  holy  name. 


APRIL  XXIX. 

PLEASURES  DERIVED  FROM  THE  CONTEMPLATION  OF  NATURE. 

Nature,  with  maternal  kindness,  offers  to  all  her  children  the  most 
delightful  and  universal,  as  well  as  the  least  expensive,  of  all  pleasures. 
Such  our  first  parents  enjoyed  in  Paradise,  and  it  is  only  depravity 
which  leads  men  to  delight  in  other  recreations.  Mankind  are  ac- 
customed to  despise  the  blessings  which  they  daily  enjoy,  and  seek  for 
amusements  that  afford  them  pleasure  from  their  variety,  and  a  suc- 
cession of  delight  from  their  novelty  :  while  the  pleasures  of  nature 
exceed  all  others,  are  open  to  every  one,  and  their  enjoyment  never 
leaves  behind  it  the  sting  of  remorse,  or  the  tears  of  repentance.  But 
we  are  so  selfish  as  to  disregard  the  charms  of  nature,  because  they 
are  alike  open  to  the  eyes  of  the  poor  as  to  those  of  the  rich  ;  and  so 
foolish  as  to  despise  them,  because  of  their  cheapness;  whereas 
nothing  should  gratify  us  more  than  to  know,  the  same  objects  which 
cause  our  delight  constitute  the  happiness  of  millions.  Compared 
with  the  noble  and  affecting  pleasure  such  a  consideration  excites,  how 
frivolous  and  deceitful  are  all  those  costly  amusements,  which  delight 
the  rich  and  please  the  foolish  !  their  enjoyment  often  ends  with  dis- 
gust, and  leaves  as  its  portion  a  painful  vacancy  of  soul ;  whilst  nature, 
ever  rich  and  bountiful,  continually  varies  her  charms,  and  offers  new 
beauties  to  the  admiring  observer. 

All  the  pleasures  which  are  the  effects  of  art  are  of  short  duration, 
and  fleeting  as  the  dream,  the  illusions  of  which  vanish  when  we 
awake.  But  the  exercise  of  reason,  and  the  ever-varying  pleasures 
of  the  imagination,  last  for  ever,  and  derive  new  strength  from  con- 
templating the  works  of  nature,  which  calls  forth  all  the  finer  feel- 
ings of  the  heai  t.  To  see  the  starry  heavens,  the  earth  variegated 
with  flowers,  a  thousand  different  landscapes,  and  prospects  vying 
with  ear^i  other  in  beauty  ;  and  to  listen  to  the  evening  song  of  the 
nighti'.gale  wafted  on  the  breeze,  whilst  all  nature  is  retiring  to  re- 
pose ;  will  ever  fill  our  souls  with  delight,  and  gratify  all  our  feelings. 
If  any  one  is  insensible  to  these  beauties,  and  unaffected  by  their 
charms,  it  must  be  owing  to  his  depravity,  or  the  stupidity  which  he 
has  acquired  from  inattention.  The  great  science  of  Christianity 
consists  in  the  innocent  enjoyment  of  every  good  which  surrounds 
us  ;  and  he  who  practises  this,  possesses  the  art  of  deriving  the  means 
of  happiness  from  every  circumstance  that  does  not  injure  his  virtue, 
his  intellect,  or  his  feelings.  Beneficent  Creator  !  thou  art  mindful 
of  us  in  this  beautiful  season,  and  providest  us  with  abundant  sources 
of  pleasure  !  Thou  continually  causest  new  springs  of  delight  to 
open,  and  our  hearts  are  filled  with  joy  and  gladness  !   If  we  desire 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


153 


to  elevate  our  hearts  to  thee,  to  indulge  in  holy  meditation,  and  to 
enjoy  celestial  bliss,  nature  often  offers  us  the  most  ample  means. 
May  we  ever  prefer  this  exalted  satisfaction  before  all  the  pleasures  of 
sense  !  In  these  sweet  days  of  spring,  may  the  enjoyment  of  nature's 
purer  pleasures  be  more  grateful  to  us  than  the  allurements  of  sen- 
sual gratifications,  which  neither  dignify  the  mind  nor  purify  the 
heart !  Teach  us,  O  Lord,  to^  acknowledge  thy  divine  power  and 
goodness;  for  it  is  by  seeking  to* know  thee  in  the  varied  and  nunie- 
rous  works  of  thy  creation,  that  we  open  to  ourselves  a  pure  and  in- 
exhaustible source  of  deUght,  and  are  enabled  to  enjoy,  in  this  state 
of  existence,  a  foretaste  of  the  felicity  which  the  righteous  shall  ex- 
perience in  thy  presence  for  ever  and  ever  ! 


APRIL  XXX. 

THE  GLORY  OP  GOD  SEEN  IN  THE  CREATION  OF  ANIMALS. 

Animals,  instead  of  being  abused,  should  be  treated  with  all  pos- 
sible kindness ;  and,  to  enable  us  to  do  this  better,  we  should  consi- 
der them  as  subjects  in  which  we  may  glorify  God.  All  creatures 
may  serve  this  purpose,  but  none  so  well  as  the  animal  creation. 
Every  plant,  tree,  flower,  and  stone,  bears  the  impression  of  the  gran- 
deur and  glory  of  the  Creator  ;  but  in  the  animal  kingdom  it  is  still 
more  manifest.  Examine  the  structure  of  any  single  Uving  creature, 
and  what  art,  beauty,  and  wonderful  mechanism,  do  we  discover ! 
and  how  these  are  multiplied,  when  we  consider  the  prodigious  num- 
ber and  immense  variety  of  animals,  forming  one  uninterrupted  chain 
from  the  elephant  to  the  little  mite  seen  through  a  microscope  !  What 
links,  order,  and  relations,  exist  amongst  all  creatures  !  All  is  har- 
mony ;  and  if  upon  a  superficial  view  we  suppose  we  have  discovered 
any  imperfection,  we  shall  soon  find  it  was  our  ignorance  led  us  to 
such  an  enormous  conclusion. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  each  individual  should  make  deep  researches 
into  the  nature  of  animals,  or  that  every  one  should  become  a  pro- 
found naturalist ;  it  is  merely  sufficient  to  pay  attention  to  what  is 
well  known  and  most  common,  to  what  may  come  under  the  obser- 
vation of  all.  We  see,  for  instance,  a  variety  of  animals  formed  in 
an  admirable  manner,  which  live,  feel,  and  move,  as  we  do  ;  which, 
like  us,  are  subject  to  hunger,  thirst,  and  cold ;  and  which  conse- 
quently stand  in  daily  need  of  having  their  necessities  supplied.  To 
all  these  creatures  God  has  given  life ;  he  preserves  them,  and  pro- 
vides for  their  wants  ;  he  watches  over  them  as  the  father  of  a  family 
over  his  household.  From  this  we  may  conclude,  that  God  has  the 
goodness  and  tenderness  of  a  father  ;  and  if  his  cares  thus  extend  to 
animals,  what  will  he  not  do  for  man  ?  If  it  be  his  chief  desire  to 
render  the  lives  of  creatures  devoid  of  reason  comfortable  and  happy, 
what  may  we  not  expect  from  his  beneficence  ]  Let  the  imbecile  and 


154 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


distrustful  man  blush  for  his  doubts  and  anxieties,  who,  when  abun- 
dance is  no  longer  his  portion,  despondingly  anticipates  the  dread  of 
poverty,  and  fears  that  his  Creator  will  suffer  him  to  perish  for  want. 
We  may  rest  assured  that  he  who  supplies  the  necessities  of  every 
animal  will  administer  to  us  the  necessaries  of  life. 

The  instinct  of  animals  gives  us  fresh  cause  to  admire  the  Supreme 
Being,  who  has  so  wisely  combined  the  means  with  the  end.  As  the 
instinct  of  animals  tends  particularly  to  their  preservation,  it  is  most 
observable  in  the  love  and  tender  solicitude  they  feel  for  their  young ; 
and  as  the  strongest  instance  of  parental  care,  our  Saviour  makes 
use  of  the  image  of  a  hen  gathering  her  young  under  her  wings.  It 
is  certainly  a  very  pleasing  sight  to  see  the  strong  affection  which  a 
hen  bears  to  her  young  ones,  and  the  continual  care  she  takes  of 
them  ;  slie  never  ceases  to  watch  over  them,  flies  to  their  assistance 
at  the  least  appearance  of  danger,  boldly  opposes  every  aggressor,  and 
hazards  her  own  life  to  save  her  young.  She  calls  them,  and  reani- 
mates them  with  her  maternal  voice  ;  extends  her  wings  to  receive 
and  cover  them  ;  and  neglects  every  convenience  for  herself,  whilst 
she  thinks  of  nothing  but  the  safety  and  well-being  of  the  objects  of 
her  affection.  Every  one  must  acknowledge  in  this  the  effects  of  in- 
finite wisdom ;  for  without  this  maternal  solicitude,  this  instinct,  so 
powerful  and  so  superior  to  every  thing,  the  chickens  must  perish, 
and  the  species  soon  become  extinct.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the  hen 
acts  thus  for  her  young  with  any  understanding  or  reflection  ;  or  that 
she  judges,  reasons,  foresees,  combines,  and  draws  inferences.  She 
does  it  from  the  operation  of  that  instinct  which  she  has  received  from 
the  liberal  hand  of  nature,  without  study  and  without  application. 
It  is  then  the  duty  of  man  to  seek  in  animals  an  occasion  to  glo- 
rify God  ;  and  as  our  attention  increases  and  our  observations  be- 
come more  extensive,  our  knowledge  will  be  improved,  and  the  plea- 
sure we  receive  from  these  investigations  will  be  more  frequent  and 
exquisite. 


MAY  I. 

HYMN  ON  THE  BEAUTIES  OF  SPRING. 

Blessed  children  of  God  !  open  your  hearts  to  joy  \  See  the  Spring 
walking  forth  in  beauty  and  gayety.  Contemplate  the  verdure  of 
the  fields  and  the  flowers  of  the  meadows,  whose  fruits  will  soon 
bring  us  the  sweets  of  abundance.  Yonder  tree,  which  not  long  since 
appeared  devoid  of  life  and  vigour,  is  now  decked  with  blossoms  that 
promise  an  abundant  harvest. 

How  beautiful  is  nature  !  How  graceful  her  ornaments  !  Every 
animal,  mead,  wood,  and  field,  revives,  and,  together  with  man,  re- 
joices in  a  new  existence.  The  lark  soars  aloft,  till  her  sweet  carols 
faintly  die  away  on  the  breeze  ;  the  pigeons,  in  many  a  giddy  whirl, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


155 


fly  round  the  flowery  plain  ;  and  the  plaintive  melody  of  the  night- 
ingale pours  from  the  groves,  and  amongst  the  flowers,  the  soft  notes 
that  are  heard  in  the  vales,  or,  louder  swelling,  fill  the  hills  and  woods. 
Here  the  fruitful  hen  guides,  protects,  and  shelters  with  her  wing,  the 
feeble,  unfledged  little  ones,  which  nature  has  entrusted  to  her  care. 
The  swallow,  leaving  her  nest,  immediately  returns  to  the  calls  of 
tenderness,  and  brings  her  young  the  desired  nourishment.  The  corn 
springs  up  in  luxuriance,  and  promises  abundantly  to  reward  the  toils 
of  the  labourer,  who  joyfully  anticipates  his  future  blessings.  Men 
plant,  but  the  vivifying  rays  and  fertihzing  showers  descend  from  hea- 
ven. The  heat  of  the  sun  ripens  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  causes 
the  life-invigorating  juice  to  flow  from  the  vine.  The  most  humble 
and  abject  of  the  sons  of  men,  when  animated  with  celestial  radi- 
ance, and  favoured  to  drink  of  the  living  waters  from  on  high,  be- 
comes the  honour  of  humanity,  and  the  messenger  of  the  power  and 
glory  of  God. 


MAY  I. 

SYSTEM  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Of  all  the  parts  which  form  the  mundane  system,  the  sun  is  the 
most  striking  and  interesting.  His  form  is  spherical,  and  from  him 
continually  emanates  an  inexhaustible  stream  of  luminous  particles. 
By  the  telescope  we  discover  in  him  certain  spots  by  which  we  can 
ascertain  that  he  turns  round  his  axis.  His  distance  from  the  earth 
is  eighty-two  millions  of  miles,  and  he  is  one  million  of  times  larger. 
He  communicates  his  hght  to  at  least  twenty  opaque  globes  that  re- 
volve round  him  at  diflferent  distances.  The  nearest  to  him  is  the 
planet  Mercury,  which  is  seldom  seen,  and  little  known.  Next  is 
Venus,  called  both  a  morning  and  an  evening  star  ;  because  she  some- 
times precedes  the  sun,  and  sometimes  follows  after  him.  After  Venus 
comes  our  own  planet,  the  external  surface  of  which  is  composed  of 
earth  and  water,  of  mountains  and  valleys,  and  its  internal  parts  of 
beds  and  strata  of  different  substances.  This  earth  is  the  abode  of  a 
multitude  of  creatures,  animate  and  inanimate  ;  plants,  metals,  and 
animals.  The  moon  revolves  round  the  earth,  and  accompanies  it  in 
its  revolution  round  the  sun.  She  is  fifty  times  less  than  the  earth, 
and  on  her  surface  we  discover  several  brilliant  spots,  äs  well  as  some 
which  are  opaque.  If  the  surface  of  the  moon  was  entirely  level, 
the  rays  of  light  would  be  equally  reflected  from  every  part,  and  we 
could  not  then  observe  these  spots,  of  which  the  brighter  were  for- 
merly supposed  to  be  continents,  whilst  those  of  a  darker  and  more 
opaque  appearance  were  considered  as  seas,  appearing  dark  from  their 
absorbing  the  rays  of  hght :  but  later  observations  have  proved,  that 
they  are  only  vast  cavities  which  do  not  reflect  the  sun's  light  so 


156 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


strongly  ;  that  the  luminous  parts  are  plain  superficies,  and  those  that 
are  most  brilliant  are  lofty  mountains. 

The  remaining  planets  in  our  system  are,  Mars ;  Jupiter,  and  his 
four  moons  ;  Saturn,  and  his  seven  ;  and  Herschel  or  Georgium  Si- 
dus,  and  his  six  moons.  Saturn  is  at  such  an  immense  distance  from 
the  sun  that  he  is  nearly  thirty  years  in  performing  his  revolution. 
The  vast  dominion  of  the  sun,  above  a  thousand  millions  of  miles,  is 
but  a  part  of  the  universe  ;  for  each  of  the  fixed  stars  is  a  sun,  equal 
in  magnitude  and  brilhancy  to  that  which  enlightens  our  sphere. 
Such  is  the  grandeur  of  God,  and  such  his  glory,  displayed  in  these 
admirable  works ;  which  invite  us  to  pay  our  tribute  of  admiration, 
reverence,  and  praise,  to  the  Being  which  formed  them  !  Is  there  any 
thing  in  nature  more  proper  to  inspire  in  us  exalted  ideas  of  the  Deity 
than  the  aspect  of  the  heavens,  nightly  irradiated  with  thousands  of 
revolving  spheres  !  May  we  never  view  them  without  feeling  the 
most  lively  sense  of  the  munificence  and  grandeur  of  him  who  has 
created  all  things,  and  continues  to  preserve  them  with  wisdom  and 
rule  them  with  merciful  goodness. 


MAY  II. 

BLOSSOMS  OF  TREES 

Our  gardens  and  fields  are  now  decorated  with  the  beauties  of 
spring,  and  every  part  of  Europe  presents  the  most  delightful  aspect. 
The  eternal  word  of  the  Creator,  pronounced  when  he  formed  the 
World,  has  produced  all  these  effects ;  his  all-creating  hand  has  again 
renovated  the  earth,  and  in  a  measure  created  it  anew  for  the  plea- 
sure and  happiness  of  his  creatures.  It  is  God  alone  who  calls  for  the 
spring  and  orders  it  to  appear.  Approach,  O  man,  and  try  what  thy 
wisdom  and  thy  power  can  execute !  Canst  thou  make  one  tree  to 
blossom,  or  one  leaf  to  germinate  *?  Canst  thou  call  from  the  earth 
the  smallest  blade  of  grass,  or  order  the  tulip  to  rise  in  all  its  splen- 
dour? Contemplate  these  flowers;  examine  them  with  attention. 
Can  they  be  more  perfect,  can  their  colours  be  more  beautifully  blend- 
ed, or  their  forms  more  elegantly  proportioned  1  Can  the  pencil  of 
the  painter  equal  the  warmth  of  the  blossoming  peach,  or  imitate  the 
richness  of  a  cherry-tree  in  bloom  1  So  far  from  imitating,  no  one 
can  conceive  all  the  beauties  of  renovated  nature  :  and  if  there  were 
no  other  proofs  of  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  the 
flowers  of  spring  would  sufficiently  display  them.  Every  tree  that 
blossoms,  every  plant,  every  flower,  manifests  a  portion  of  that  wis- 
dom and  beneficence  so  abundantly  diffused  through  the  earth.  There 
is  an  infinite  diversity  among  the  blossoms  of  trees ;  though  all  beau- 
tiful, they  differ  in  degree,  one  surpassing  another ;  but  there  are 
none  which  do  not  possess  some  beauty  peculiar  to  themselves.  Some 
have  flowers  of  a  pure  white  ;  others  have  streaks  of  red  and  shades, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


157 


and  add  to  beauty  and  elegance  the  most  exquisite  fragrance.  But 
all  these  multiplied  varieties  do  not  affect  their  fecundity. 

From  the  consideration  of  these  circumstances,  we  may  receive 
profit  and  instruction.  We  may  reflect,  that,  though  we  are  not  fa- 
voured with  the  same  advantages  that  some  possess,  we  should  nei- 
ther be  discouraged  nor  afflicted.  The  privation  of  some  accidental 
benefits  can  in  no  degree  injure  our  well-being.  Though  we  may 
not  be  quite  so  rich,  so  powerful,  or  so  handsome,  as  some  are,  these 
are  trifling  things  in  the  estimation  of  the  virtuous  and  the  wise  ;  for 
without  them  we  can  be  equally  happy,  equally  useful  to  our  fellow- 
creatures,  and  equally  pleasing  to  God.  True  beauty  consists  in  the 
works  of  piety,  and  the  fruits  of  virtue.  The  blossoms  of  a  fruit- 
bearing  tree  please  more  than  the  splendour  of  the  tulip,  or  the  rich- 
ness of  the  auricula ;  because  from  the  one  we  expect,  when  the  blos- 
soms are  over,  to  receive  fruit ;  while  the  others  please  for  a  moment, 
and  are  seen  no  more.  Let  us  not  then  prefer  the  mere  lustre  and 
charms  of  external  beauty  :  the  rosy  tints  of  health,  the  elegance  of 
form,  and  the  freshness  of  youth,  are  fleeting,  and  soon  fade ;  they 
alone  cannot  secure  present  peace,  nor  durable  happiness.  Those 
blossoms  only  which  promise  fruit  worthy  of  God,  and  useful  to  man- 
kind, deserve  our  regard,  and  merit  our  approbation.  As  the  beau- 
ties of  the  blossoming  trees  hastily  perish,  so  will  the  youth,  now  in 
the  spring  of  life,  fluttering  in  the  gayety  of  their  charms.  Let  us, 
then,  whilst  in  the  morn  of  life,  and  in  the  vigour  of  health,  prepare, 
by  study  and  application,  to  produce  in  the  evening  of  our  days,  when 
divested  of  all  external  charms,  abundant  fruits  of  piety,  of  virtue, 
and  of  knowledge. 


MAY  IIL 

OP  THE  CONTINUAL  REVOLUTIONS  AND  CHANGES  THAT  TAKE  PLACE 

IN  NATURE. 

Motion  and  change  seem  necessary  to  the  preservation  of  the  cor- 
poreal world.  If  we  pay  the  least  attention  to  what  passes  on  the 
globe  which  we  inhabit,  we  shall  be  convinced  that  the  smallest  par- 
ticle of  matter  in  the  universe  cannot  be  considered  as  in  a  state  of 
absolute  and  continued  rest. 

The  earth  turns  round  its  axis  once  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  by 
this  motion  all  the  points  of  its  surface  change  their  situation  with 
more  or  less  rapidity.  Under  the  line  or  equator,  where  this  motion  is 
performed  with  greater  celerity,  each  body  is  carried  more  than  one 
thousand  miles  every  hour,  besides  the  annual  revolution  of  the  earth 
round  the  sun,  which  is  at  the  astonishing  rate  of  fifty-eight  thousand 
miles  every  hour.  This  motion  is  not  perceptible,  but  the  relative 
motion  of  earthly  bodies  is  more  observable.  Small  streams  uniting 
form  greater,  till  at  length  torrents  and  rivers  are  formed,  which  again 


158 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


are  lost  in  the  sea.  Water  is  also  raised  in  exhalations,  and  forma 
clouds,  which  produce  the  rain,  snow,  and  fogs ;  from  these,  streams 
are  formed,  which  once  more  enter  the  sea ;  and  tides,  storms,  and 
torrents,  keep  the  water  in  perpetual  motion.  The  atmosphere  is  not 
less  in  a  state  of  rest.  Between  the  tropics  an  east  wind  continually 
blows;  and  in  other  places,  where  no  agitation  is  perceptible,  the  ther- 
mometer and  barometer  prove  that  the  air  is  never  perfectly  calm  : 
and  the  frequency  of  meteors  sufficiently  evinces  the  continuance  of 
its  motion. 

The  surface  of  the  earth  is  also  subject  to  frequent  revolutions:  the 
hardest  rocks  cleave,  and  stones  gradually  wear  away,  or  break  into 
small  particles ;  some  lands  sink  down,  others  are  inundated,  and 
some  are  removed  by  earthquakes.  Hills  are  swept,  away,  and  val- 
leys are  filled  up ;  marshes  are  drained  and  become  covered  with 
trees  ;  the  depths  of  the  sea  are  made  to  wave  with  corn  :  and  that 
which  was  land  is  now  water.  Light  succeeds  to  darkness,  cold  to 
heat,  and  wet  to  drought ;  and  bodies  are  continually  experiencing 
alterations,  many  of  which  are  imperceptible.  To  these  we  may  add 
the  changes  to  which  animal  life  is  subject ;  and  we  shall  then  be 
able  to  form  some  idea  of  the  continual  revolutions  of  nature.  Man 
himself  is  continually  losing  a  portion  of  his  substance  by  the  process 
of  perspiration,  and  in  a  few  years  is  clothed  with  an  entirely  new 
body.  Thus  every  thing  upon  the  earth  is  in  motion,  every  thing 
alternately  grows  and  perishes ;  and  to  be  born  and  to  die,  is  the  lot 
of  all  created  beings.  These  continual  revolutions  are  salutary  warn- 
ings, and  teach  us  that  this  present  world  is  not  the  abode  for  which 
we  are  destined.  When  I  consider  the  perpetual  changes  and  con- 
stant vicissitudes  incident  to  all  terrestrial  objects,  I  feel  the  vanity 
and  insignificance  of  earthly  things  ;  and  from  the  frailty  and  short- 
ness of  this  hfe  anticipate  a  better  and  more  perfect  state  in  a  future 
world.  Every  thing  cries  aloud  that  we  are  only  as  travellers  upon 
the  earth,  who  have  a  certain  time  to  sojourn,  and  then  accomplish 
the  end  and  receive  the  reward  of  our  pilgrimage.  And  in  the  midst 
of  these  changes  and  revolutions  the  pure  and  devout  soul  receives 
consolation  and  support  from  the  contemplation  of  an  almighty  and 
eternal  Being,  who,  though  the  mountains  shake,  and  the  hills  leave 
their  places,  the  seas  be  agitated  and  tossed  by  the  fierce  storm,  and 
all  earthly  bodies  return  to  original  dust,  still  exists  the  same,  regarding 
his  children  with  compassionating  love,  and  assisting  the  helpless  in 
the  hour  of  necessity,  and  in  the  day  of  tribulation. 


MAY  IV. 

AN  INVITATION  TO  SEEK  GOD  IN  THE  WORKS  OF  NATURE. 

Awaken,  O  my  soul,  from  the  slumbers  which  have  so  long  be- 
numbed thy  faculties,  and  attentively  regard  the  surrounding  objects. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


159 


Reflect  upon  thy  own  nature,  and  upon  that  of  other  creatures;  con- 
sider their  origin,  structure,  form,  and  utihty,  with  every  additional 
circumstance  that  can  fill  thee  with  love  and  adoration  of  the  all-wise 
Creator.  When  thou  seest  the  variegated  and  brilliant  colours  of  the 
heavens,  the  lustre  of  the  numerous  stars  that  irradiate  them,  and 
the  light  reflected  from  a  thousand  beauteous  objects,  ask  thyself 
whence  all  these  proceed  1  Who  has  formed  the  immense  vault  of 
heaven  ?  Who  has  placed  in  the  firmament  those  exhaustless  fires, 
those  constellations  whose  rays  shoot  through  such  an  inconceivable 
space  1  And  who  directs  their  course  with  the  beauty  of  order,  and 
the  harmony  of  regularity,  and  commands  the  sun  to  enlighten  and 
make  fruitful  the  earth]  Thou  wilt  answer,  the  everlasting  God,  at 
whose  word  the  creation  arose  fair  and  beautiful,  whose  wisdom  still 
directs  it,  and  whose  mercy  still  operates  for  the  felicity  of  all  man- 
kind. His  hand  has  established  the  foundations  of  the  mountains, 
and  raised  their  summits  above  the  clouds  ;  He  has  clothed  them  with 
trees,  and  beautified  them  with  flowers  and  verdure ;  and  He  has 
drawn  from  their  bosoms  the  rivers  and  streams  which  irrigate  the 
earth.  To  the  flowers  of  the  field  He  has  given  their  beauty,  and 
fragrance,  far  exceeding  all  the  combinations  of  art  and  eflforts  of  skill. 
All  the  creatures  that  are  seen  in  the  air,  in  the  waters,  and  on  the 
earth,  owe  to  Him  their  existence,  and  the  possession  of  that  instinct 
which  is  their  preservation  ;  and  man,  in  himself  a  world  of  wonders, 
looks  up  to  God  as  his  Creator  and  Protector. 

Let  our  chief  care  and  most  pleasing  duty  be  henceforth  to  seek  for 
the  knowledge  of  God  in  the  contemplation  of  his  w^orks.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  heavens  or  upon  the  earth  which  does  not  impress  upon 
our  minds  the  wonderful  wisdom  and  admirable  beneficence  of  the 
Creator,  to  whom,  in  the  midst  of  the  revolutions  of  nature,  let  us 
raise  our  thoughts,  and  pour  forth  the  joyful  accents  of  our  love  and 
gratitude. 


MAY  V. 

MORNING. 

When  Aurora  first  peeps,  and  dissipates  the  shades  of  night,  we 
seem  to  enjoy  a  new  creation.  The  faint  streaks  that  mark  the 
eastern  horizon  soon  become  more  vivid,  and  the  morning  breaks  with 
beauty  ;  we  begin  to  distinguish  the  verdure  of  the  hills,  the  opening 
flowers,  and  the  pure  streams  that  water  the  meads.  The  horizon 
becomes  more  luminous,  the  clouds  assume  the  most  beautiful  tints, 
and  the  charms  of  the  distant  valleys  open  upon  us  ;  the  breath  of 
the  hawthorn  is  sweet,  the  dew-drops  upon  the  flowers  show  the  pure 
lustre  of  pearls,  and  nature  rejoices  in  her  existence.  The  first  sun- 
beam darts  from  behind  the  mountains  that  skirt  the  horizon,  and 
plays  upon  the  earth  ;  more  succeed,  and  the  brilliancy  increases,  till 


160 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  disk  of  the  luminary  encircled  in  glory  is  visible,  and  the  sun 
shines  in  full  refulgence  ;  he  gains  the  mid-heaven  and  no  eye  can 
sustain  his  glory. 

When  I  stand  upon  the  summit  of  some  lofty  cliff,  and  see  the  star 
of  day  slowly  rise  out  of  the  ocean  that  foams  beneath,  I  feel  a 
mingled  sensation  of  sublimity,  awe,  and  adoration  ;  I  think  of  the 
infinite  God,  the  Creator  of  the  sun,  and  in  the  beauties  of  the  rising 
day  acknowledge  his  power  and  wisdom.  With  the  lark,  that  caroll- 
ing in  the  air,  meets  the  morning,  and  by  the  sweetness  of  his  strains 
proclaims  the  arrival  of  day,  I  soar  in  thought  into  the  regions  of 
glory,  and  hail  the  great  source  of  light.  The  joy  and  gayety  of  all 
nature,  and  the  raptures  of  the  creation,  raise  in  my  breast  the  strong- 
est emotions  of  gratitude,  w^hilst  my  heart  swells  with  delight,  and 
every  sense  is  ecstacy.  Yet  there  are  many  thousands  of  human 
beings  who  have  never  known  the  pleasure  of  such  sensations,  nor 
even  experienced  the  gratification  of  viewing  the  morning  sun ;  who 
prefer  the  drowsy  influence  of  their  bed,  and  the  confined  limits  of 
their  gloomy  chamber,  to  the  freshness  of  morning  and  the  brilliancy 
of  day. 


MAY  VI. 

VISION. 

To  enable  us  to  perceive  external  objects,  it  is  requisite  that  rays  of 
light  be  reflected  from  them.  These  rays  are  transmitted  to  the  eye, 
passing  through  the  transparent  cornea,  by  whose  convexity  they  are 
united  into  a  focus,  through  the  aqueous  humour  and  pupil  of  the  eye, 
into  the  crystalline  lens,  which  condenses  them  more  ;  and  after  this 
concentration,  they  penetrate  the  vitreous  humour,  and  impress  on 
the  retina  the  images  of  external  objects  ;  and  the  optic  nerves,  of 
which  the  retina  is  an  expansion,  convey  these  impressions  to  the 
mind,  which  forms  perceptions  and  ideas  according  to  the  diflferent 
sensations  excited  by  the  object  presented. 

The  faculty  of  vision  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  properties  of 
human  nature,  and  particularly  merits  our  attention.  Though  the 
image  of  external  objects  is  painted  upon  the  retina  in  an  inverted 
position,  we  yet  see  them  in  their  proper  situation.  And  what  is  still 
more  admirable  with  such  a  small  organ  as  the  eye,  we  perceive  the 
largest  objects,  and  take  in  the  whole  of  their  dimensions.  From 
the  height  of  a  tower  we  see  at  a  distance  the  numerous  buildings  of 
a  large  city  painted  upon  our  retina  with  the  utmost  exactness  and 
precision,  notwithstanding  the  extreme  minuteness  of  the  organ  which 
receives  so  many  millions  of  rays  without  confusion.  From  the  top- 
mast we  see  the  ocean  covered  with  a  vast  fleet,  and  waves  innume- 
rable undulating  aroimd  us  ;  from  each  of  w^hich  rays  of  light  must 
penetrate  the  eye,  whose  volume  is  so  minute.    Or,  having  gained 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


161 


the^  summit  of  some  lofty  mountain,  if  we  direct  our  view  over  the 
distant  plains,  every  object  that  we  notice  reflects  a  number  of  rays 
upon  our  organs  of  vision,  or  we  could  not  distinguish  the  purling 
brooks,  nor  the  flowery  meads.  Rays  of  light  not  only  pass  from 
these  objects  to  our  eyes,  they  are  transmitted  to  every  part  of  the 
surrounding  atmosphere  ;  hence,  wherever  we  pass  within  a  certain 
distance,  the  same  objects  are  still  visible,  the  rays  constantly  pro- 
ceeding from  them,  whether  they  meet  the  focus  of  our  eye  or  not. 

So  far  we  are  able  to  explain  the  wonders  of  vision,  but  beyond  this 
all  is  darkness :  it  has  pleased  the  Almighty  Creator  to  conceal  from 
our  limited  understanding  the  immediate  connexion  between  matter 
and  mind  ;  we  know  the  image  of  external  objects  is  reflected  on  the 
retina,  and  that  the  mind  takes  cognizance  of  it,  and  here  we  must 
rest  satisfied  ;  for  to  explain  the  manner  in  which  we  see  these  objects 
is  impossible. 


MAY  VII. 

SPRING  RENEWS   THE  FACE   OF  THE  EARTH. 

How  great  a  change  has  taken  place  throughout  nature  !  The 
earth,  which  has  reposed  during  the  winter,  resumes  its  fertility,  and 
all  the  creation  rejoices.  A  few  weeks  since,  every  thing  was  deso- 
late, and  wore  the  aspect  of  sterility  ;  the  vallies  now  so  beautiful  were 
buried  in  snow,  and  the  mountains,  whose  blue  summits  pierce  the 
clouds,  were  shrouded  in  thick  mist.  In  those  verdant  avenues  where 
now  dwells  the  nightingale,  were  only  seen  withered  branches  and 
leafless  trunks.  The  rivers  and  streams  which  now  flow  murmuring 
along  their  channels,  were  arrested  in  their  course,  and  rendered 
motionless  by  ice.  The  little  choristers,  whose  loud  notes  swell  upon 
the  breeze,  were  torpid  in  their  retreats,  or  had  retired  to  other  climes. 
A  mournful  silence  reigned  in  the  fields,  the  groves  were  still,  and  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach  solitude  met  the  aching  view.  But  when  the 
first  zephyrs  of  spring  played  upon  the  earth,  nature  felt  their  refresh- 
ing influence,  and  arose  from  her  stupor ;  joy  and  gayety  were  awak- 
ened, and  laughing  pleasure  banished  every  care. 

The  sun-beams  penetrate,  the  sweet  flowers  spring  up,  the  trees 
again  look  young,  the  budding  beauties  and  the  freshness  of  the  ver- 
dure gladden  the  heart,  and  its  joy  is  perfected  in  feeling  the  happi- 
ness of  all  around.  Who  can  behold  such  a  picture  without  emotion, 
or  see  it  without  thinking  of  the  ineffable  Being  that  produced  it  1 
The  Lord  breathes  upon  the  earth  and  the  valleys  smile  ;  he  watereth 
them  with  his  dew,  and  they  are  fertile.  His  presence  ripeneth  the 
harvests,  and  fills  our  hearts  with  joy.  His  blessing  is  upon  the  fur- 
rows, and  the  parching  earth  drinks  of  the  refreshing  rain,  which 
softens  it,  and  the  seeds  spring  forth.  The  year  is  crowned  with 
blessings,  and  the  breath  of  God  maketh  the  ground  fruitful :  under 
14+  V 


162 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


his  steps  flowers  and  fruits  spring  up,  and  all  fruitfulness  and  abun- 
dance belong  unto  him.  The  pastures  are  watered  with  soft  showers, 
and  the  hills  are  adorned  with  a  beautiful  verdure.  The  fields  are 
covered  with  flocks,  and  the  young  corn  rejoices  the  valleys.  All 
nature  rises  in  one  general  song  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  her 
bountiful  Parent, 

In  the  revolution  effected  by  the  mild  influence  of  the  spring,  I 
seem  to  see  the  representation  of  that  salutary  change  which  the  soul 
feels  when  it  yields  to  the  operations  of  the  divine  Spirit  of  God. 
Before  this  it  had  no  real  beauty  ;  its  faculties,  perverted  and  deprav- 
ed, were  incapable  of  producing  the  precious  fruits  of  piety,  till  the 
saving  grace  of  God  was  felt  in  the  heart,  when  it  resembled  the 
earth  cheered  by  the  vernal  sun.  Ignorance  disappeared,  the  passions 
were  controlled,  and  vice  shrunk  back  ashamed ;  the  heart  glowed 
with  virtue,  and  the  mind  was  impressed  with  humility  ;  and  a  firm 
reliance  upon  the  blessed  doctrines  of  truth. 


MAY  VIII. 

GERMINATION  OF  SEEDS. 

Many  changes  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  are  now  taking  place 
under  our  immediate  notice,  whilst  others  are  operating  in  secret,  con- 
cealed from,  our  observation.  The  grain  which  had  been  previously 
deposited  in  the  earth  swells,  and  the  plant  at  length  sprouts  and 
gradually  shoots  up.  As  this  is  the  beginning  of  all  the  beauties 
which  spring  and  summer  offer  us  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  it  merits 
some  attention.  Seeds  are  composed  of  different  parts,  according  to 
the  variety  of  species,  the  principal  of  which  parts  is  the  germ.  Each 
germ  has  two  parts  ;  the  one  simple,  which  becomes  the  root,  and  the 
other  laminated,  which  becomes  the  stem  of  the  plant.  The  sub- 
stance of  most  seeds  is  composed  of  two  pieces  called  lobes,  which 
contain  a  farinaceous  matter,  and  serve  as  seminal  leaves  to  the  plants. 
Mosses  have  the  most  simple  seed,  consisting  only  of  the  germ,  with- 
out pellicle  and  without  lobes.  To  make  seeds  germinate,  air,  and  a 
certain  degree  of  heat  and  moisture  are  necessary.  The  augmented 
heat,  and  the  difference  observable  in  the  taste  and  smell,  seern  to 
denote  a  degree  of  fermentation  ;  and  the  farinaceous  substance  be- 
comes fitted  to  nourish  the  tender  germ.  It  has  been  ascertained  by 
experimerits  made  with  coloured  fluids,  that  this  substance  imbibes  a 
moisture,  which,  in  conjunction  with  the  air  and  heat,  forms  a  proper 
nourishment  till  the  plant  has  acquired  strength  enough  to  make  use 
of  the  juices  furnished  by  the  root.  The  lobes,  exhausted  of  their 
farinaceous  matter,  giadually  dry,  and  fall  off  of  themselves  in  a  few 
weeks,  when  the  plant  has  no  farther  need  of  their  assistance. 

Consider  herbs  which  grow  on  the  mountains  are  of  a  particular 
nature  ;  their  duration  being  very  short,  it  often  happens  that  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


168 


seed  has  not  time  to  ripen  ;  and  that  the  species  may  not  be  lost,  the 
bud  which  contains  the  germ  is  formed  upon  the  top  of  the  plant,  puts 
forth  leaves,  falls,  and  takes  root.  When  the  delicate  plant  shoots  up 
from  the  earth,  it  will  run  too  great  a  risk  if  it  were  immediately  ex- 
posed to  the  air  and  influence  of  the  sun.  Its  parts  therefore  remain 
folded  close  to  each  other,  nearly  the  same  as  when  in  tlie  seed.  But 
as  the  root  grows  strong  and  branches  out,  it  furnishes  the  superior 
vessels  with  an  abundance  of  juice,  by  means  of  which  all  the  organs 
are  developed.  At  first  the  plant  is  nearly  gelatinous  ;  but  it  soon 
acquires  more  firmness,  and  continually  increases  in  size.  This  short 
account  of  the  germination  of  seeds  suffices  to  show  us  how  many 
preparations  and  means  nature  uses  to  produce  a  single  plant.  When 
therefore  we  see  a  seed  that  we  have  placed  in  the  earth  sprout,  we 
shall  no  longer  consider  it  as  beneath  our  notice,  but  shall  rather  be 
disposed  to  regard  it  as  one  of  those  wonders  of  nature  which  have 
excited  the  observation  and  attention  of  some  of  the  greatest  of  men. 


MAY  IX. 

OF  THE   CHICK  IN  THE  EGG. 

We  are  under  considerable  obligations  to  those  naturalists  who  have 
made  laborious  researches  and  investigations  into  the  nature  of  gene- 
ration, and  the  propagation  of  animals,  by  which  much  hght  has  been 
thrown  upon  a  very  difficult  subject.  Nothing  contributes  more  to  the 
glory  of  God  than  observations  which  point  out  the  wisdom  mani- 
fested in  the  production  of  the  animal  creation.  The  less  we  are  able 
to  comprehend  the  works  of  nature,  the  more  eagerly  should  we  seize 
every  opportunity  that  offers  of  inquiring  into  them. 

The  hen  has  scarcely  sat  upon  the  eggs  tv^elve  hours,  when  some 
lineaments  of  the  head  and  body  of  the  chick  may  be  discerned  in 
the  embryo ;  at  the  end  of  the  second  day  the  heart  begins  to  beat, 
though  no  blood  can  be  seen.  In  forty-eight  hours  we  may  distin- 
guish two  vesicles  with  blood,  the  pulsation  of  which  is  evident ; 
one  of  them  is  the  left  ventricle,  the  other  the  root  of  the  great  artery ; 
soon  after  one  of  the  auricles  of  the  heart  is  perceptible ;  in  which 
pulsation  may  be  remarked  as  well  as  in  the  ventricle.  About  the 
seventieth  hour  the  wings  may  be  distinguished,  and  on  the  head 
two  globules  for  the  brain,  one  for  the  beak,  and  two  others  for  the 
front  and  hind  part  of  the  head.  Towards  the  end  of  the  fourth  day, 
the  two  auricles,  now  distinctly  visible,  approach  nearer  the  heart  than 
they  did  before.  About  the  fifth  day  the  hver  may  be  perceived  ;  at 
the  end  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  hours,  the  lungs  and  stomach 
become  visible ;  and  in  a  few  hours  more  the  intestines,  veins,  and 
upper  jaw.  On  the  seventh  day  the  brain  begins  to  assume  a  more 
consistent  form.  One  hundred  and  ninety  hours  after  incubation,  the 
beak  opens,  and  flesh  appears  on  the  breast.    In  two  hundred  and 


164 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


ten,  the  ribs  are  formed,  and  the  gall-bladder  is  visible.  The  bile,  in 
a  few  hours  more,  is  seen  of  a  green  colour ;  and  if  the  chick  be 
separated  from  its  coverings,  it  may  be  seen  to  move.  Towards  the 
two  hundred  and  fortieth  hour,  the  feathers  begin  to  shoot,  and  about 
the  same  time  the  skull  becomes  cartilaginous  ;  in  twenty-four  hours 
more  the  eyes  appear  ;  at  the  two  hundred  and  eighty-eighth,  the  ribs 
are  perfected  ;  and  at  the  three  hundred  and  thirty-first,  the  spleen 
approaches  the  stomach,  and  the  lungs  the  breast.  On  the  eighteenth 
day  of  incubation,  the  first  faint  piping  of  the  chick  is  heard.  It  then 
continually  increases  in  size  and  in  strength  till  it  emerges  from  its 
prison. 

By  so  many  diflferent  gradations  does  the  adorable  wisdom  of  God 
conduct  these  creatures  into  life  ;  all  their  progressive  evolutions  are 
arranged  with  order,  and  each  one  is  effected  by  its  own  particular 
cause.  If  the  liver  is  always  formed  on  the  fifth  day,  is  it  from  the 
preceding  state  of  the  chick.  No  part  of  its  body  could  appear  sooner 
or  later  without  some  injury  to  the  embryo,  and  each  of  its  members 
appears  at  the  most  convenient  time. 

The  wise  and  invariable  order  in  the  production  of  this  little  body, 
is  evidently  the  work  of  supernatural  power ;  and  we  shall  be  more 
convinced  of  it  if  we  consider  the  manner  in  which  the  chick  is  formed 
from  the  parts  which  compose  the  egg.  How  admirable  is  that  prin- 
ciple of  life  the  source  of  a  new  being  contained  in  the  egg,  all  the 
parts  of  the  animal  being  invisible  till  they  become  developed  by 
warmth  !  What  a  wonderful  order  and  regularity  is  observed  in  the 
formation  of  the  chick  ;  the  same  evolutions  taking  place  at  once  in 
twenty  eggs  !  Neither  does  changing  the  position  of  the  egg  at  all 
injure  the  embryo  or  retard  the  formation  of  the  chick  ;  which  at  the 
time  when  it  breaks  the  shell,  is  found  to  be  heavier  than  the  whole 
egg  was  at  first.  These,  however  admirable,  are  far  from  being  all 
the  wonders  displayed  in  the  formation  of  a  chick.  The  microscope, 
and  the  penetrating  investigations  of  the  curious,  have  only  disco- 
vered what  comes  more  immediately  under  the  observation  of  our 
senses  :  whilst  the  discovery  of  many  things  remains  for  those  who  are 
to  follow  us,  or  they  may  never  be  known  in  this  state  of  our  exist- 
ence. Much  remains  to  be  known  concerning  the  mystery  of  gene- 
ration, which  at  present  is  impenetrable  to  our  researches  ;  but  let  not 
this  discourage  us,  let  us  endeavour  to  improve  and  make  a  good  use 
of  the  little  knowledge  we  are  permitted  to  acquire,  and  we  shall  yet 
have  sufficient  to  feel  the  wise  power  of  God,  and  to  employ  for  the 
benefit  of  our  fellow-creatures. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


165 


MAY  X. 

BUDS  OF  FLOWERS. 

A  number  of  flowers  in  bud,  and  still  enveloped  in  their  covers, 
may  be  seen  in  every  direction  ;  all  their  charms  are  veiled,  and  their 
beauties  concealed  within  themselves.  Like  these,  devoid  of  beauty, 
may  be  considered  the  wretched  miser,  isolated  and  centring  every 
thing  in  himself;  his  views  are  base  and  sordid  ;  he  refers  all  to  him- 
self, and  makes  his  private  advantages  and  personal  gratification  the 
centre  of  his  desires,  and  the  confined  circle  of  his  actions. 

The  vivifying  rays  of  the  sun  will  soon  cause  the  buds  of  the 
flowers  to  expand,  and,  quitting  their  confinement,  open  their  ripen- 
ing beauties  to  the  face  of  day.  They  will  appear  with  a  beautiful 
bloom,  and  exhale  the  most  fragrant  perfumes.  So  will  the  heart  of 
the  miser  be  opened  when  the  rays  of  divine  grace  shall  beam  light 
upon  his  soul.  His  unfeeling  nature  and  contracted  mind  will  yield 
to  the  penetrating  influence  of  truth,  and  his  heart  become  suscepti- 
ble of  social  affections,  and  alive  to  the  feelings  of  humanity.  He 
will  then  no  longer  be  the  slave  of  selfishness,  nor  the  prey  of  sordid 
cares  ;  his  love  will  become  universal ;  he  will  feel  the  aflfection  of  a 
brother  for  the  deserving  ;  and  his  generous  soul  will  know  no  bounds 
in  its  expansion,  nor  suffer  any  restraint  in  cheering  the  comfortless, 
and  ministering  unto  the  afflicted. 

When  I  view  the  yet  tender  buds  of  flowers,  I  think  of  you,  ye 
amiable  youth !  The  beauty  and  energy  of  your  souls  are  not  yet 
displayed ;  your  faculties  are  not  yet  expanded  ;  and  the  hopes  of 
your  fond  parents  not  yet  confirmed.  When,  walking  forth  into  the 
fields  and  gardens,  you  behold  the  budding  flowers,  consider  that  you 
are  in  a  similar  state  ;  as  you  look  for  their  expansion,  so  your  pa- 
rents fondly  watch  the  gradual  unfolding  of  your  faculties.  They 
do  every  thing  for  you,  and  neglect  nothing  that  can  promote  your 
instruction  and  advance  your  improvement ;  they  watch  over  your 
education  with  the  tenderest  care,  that  at  first  by  blossoms,  and  then 
by  choice  fruit,  you  may  become  useful  to  society,  and  be  the  joy  of 
your  parents,  and  their  consolation  and  support  in  the  evening  of  their 
days.  Do  every  thing  in  your  power  to  gratify  their  dearest  hopes, 
and  profit  well  by  their  instructions  ;  to  the  end  that  you  may  become 
wise,  amiable,  and  virtuous.  And  beware  of  following  all  the  sug- 
gestions of  youthful  fancy,  or  giving  way  to  the  ebullitions  of  desire 
and  the  wild  fury  of  passion,  which  will  blast  your  innocence,  de- 
stroy the  sweet  sensibility  of  your  heart,  and  render  your  mind  base, 
gloomy,  and  wretched.  '  In  the  morning  of  life  I  flourish  like  the 
opening  bud.  My  heart  beats  with  joy,  and  throbs  with  fond  delight ; 
I  riot  in  the  luxury  of  hope,  and  anticipate  with  ecstacy  the  pleasures 
of  futurity.  But  if  I  yield  to  the  insinuating  poison  of  young  desire, 
and  slide  into  the  false  sweets  of  pleasure,  my  heart  would  early  pul- 


166 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


sate  only  to  the  tears  of  bitterness,  or  its  vital  stream  be  consumed 
by  the  ardency  of  an  impure  flame.' 


MAY  XI. 

INDEFATIGABLE  LABOURS  OP  THE  BEE. 

The  season  of  spring  affords  us  an  excellent  opportunity  to  observe 
the  labours  and  industry  of  the  bees ;  and  the  sight  of  a  hive  is  cer- 
tainly most  beautiful.  A  wonderful  degree  of  interest  is  excited  in 
the  contemplation  of  a  laboratory  where  thousands  of  workmen  are 
differently  employed.  Our  astonishment  increases  as  we  behold  the 
regularity  of  their  labours,  and  the  abundance  with  which  these  ma- 
gazines are  furnished  for  the  support  of  their  numerous  inhabitants 
during  the  winter.  And  still  more  admirable  is  the  indefatigable 
assiduity  and  unceasing  labours  of  this  little  republic.  Bees  give  an 
example  of  diligence  and  activity  which  is  not  only  uncommon,  but 
has  perhaps  never  been  equalled. 

As  soon  as  the  last  traces  of  winter  have  disappeared,  they  begm 
to  come  forth  ;  sometimes  so  early  that  there  is  reason  to  fear  the 
cold  is  yet  sufficiently  strong  to  injure  their  delicate  limbs.  Even 
before  the  juices  of  flowers  which  begin  to  open  are  sufficiently  acted 
upon  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  to  furnish  a  large  supply  of  honey,  the 
bees  collect  a  little  for  their  subsistence.  But  as  the  spring  advances, 
and  in  the  summer,  their  cares  and  activity  are  redoubled :  in  these 
seasons  they  are  never  idle  ;  they  work  incessantly,  and  neglect  not 
the  smallest  profits  that  will  increase  their  stores.  They  are  so  inde- 
fatigable in  the  construction  of  their  cells,  that  we  are  informed  a 
comb  with  double  cells  and  sufficiently  large  to  contain  three  thou- 
sand bees,  is  finished  in  twenty-four  hours. 

The  work  is  jointly  undertaken  by  all  the  members  of  the  republic  ; 
whilst  some  collect  the  wax,  and  prepare  and  fill  the  magazines  with 
it,  others  are  busied  in  different  labours.  Some  build  cells  with  the 
wax  ;  others  knead  and  perfect  it  ;  some  gather  honey  from  the  flow- 
ers, which  they  deposit  in  the  hive  for  present  nourishment  and  future 
support ;  others  close  the  entrance  of  the  cells  with  a  covering  of 
wax,  in  which  they  have  preserved  their  winter's  store  of  honey. 
Some  distribute  nourishment  to  the  young  ones,  and  close  with  wax 
the  habitations  of  the  small  grubs  that  are  near  the  time  of  their 
metamorphosis,  to  the  end  that  they  may  work  more  securely.  Some 
fill  up  with  a  glutinous  matter  all  the  holes  and  clefts  of  the  hives, 
and  plaster  over  the  weak  parts,  that  neither  wind  nor  insects  may 
gain  admission.  Some  drag  the  dead  out  of  the  hive  for  fear  of  in- 
fection ;  and  if  the  bodies  are  too  heavy,  they  plaster  them  over  with 
a  glutinous  substance,  or  with  wax  ;  and  so  cement  it,  that  no  efflu- 
via can  exhale  through  the  coating. 

It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  admire  the  activity  of  these  little  crea- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


167 


tares ;  we  should  make  them  our  model,  and  endeavour  to  imitate 
the  example  of  their  industry.  We  have  many  more  incitements  to 
action  than  they  have  ;  we  possess  an  immortal  soul.  This  should 
render  our  diligence  constant,  and  our  applications  incessant,  that  we 
may  avoid  the  way  to  ruin,  and  preserve  the  sure  path  to  happiness : 
and  nothing  more  effectually  incites  to  this,  than  the  reflection  that 
the  fruit  of  our  labours  lasteth  for  ever.  The  bee  gathers  its  sweets 
not  for  itself  only,  but  for  its  masters  ;  while  our  labours  in  the  vine- 
yard of  wisdom  and  of  truth  secure  to  ourselves  the  fruits  of  eter- 
nal life. 

May  we  never  be  slow  to  do  good,  nor  remiss  in  performing  the 
duties  of  our  vocation  with  all  the  zeal  and  fidelity  of  which  we  are 
capable.  Let  us  execute  without  delay  the  task  imposed  upon  us, 
and  work  while  it  is  day,  for  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can 
work.  *  May  we  each  show  the  same  diligence  to  the  full  assurance 
of  hope,  unto  the  end  that  we  be  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  them 
who  through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promise  ;  for  the  winter  of 
age  and  the  tribulation  of  sickness  approach,  and  the  hour  of  death 
hasteneth.'  Look  to  the  bees  for  instruction  ;  consider  their  labours, 
and  contemplate  their  works:  admire  their  activity  and  unceasing 
industry.  Always  busy,  always  indefatigable,  they  rise  with  the 
morning,  prolong  their  toils  to  the  evening  hour,  and  support  without 
shrinking  the  troubles  of  their  short  life.  And  shall  man  repose  in 
idleness,  and  lie  on  the  lap  of  indolence  1  shall  he,  endowed  with  the 
immortal  gift  of  reason,  consume  his  days  in  frivolity,  and  waste  his 
nights  in  foolish  sports  or  hurtful  pleasures  1  The  period  of  our  lives 
is  short ;  may  we  devote  it  to  labour  for  the  glory  of  God,  the  welfare 
of  our  souls,  and  the  benefit  of  our  fellow-creatures  ! 


MAY  XIL 

NOURISHMENT  OF  ANIMALS. 

Through  all  the  gradations  and  varieties  of  animals,  from  the  pon- 
derous elephant  to  the  almost  imperceptible  mite,  no  terrestrial  crea- 
ture can  live  without  food  and  nourishment.  From  the  eagle  that  in 
her  bold  flight  braves  the  meridian  sun,  to  the  minutest  fly ;  from  the 
whale  to  the  smallest  worm,  nothing  living  can  exist  without  suste- 
nance. And  in  forming  these  creatures  with  the  necessity  of  having 
food,  God  has  provided  at  the  same  time  such  an  abundance  and 
diversity  of  aliment,  that  each  creature  may  receive  that  nourishment 
which  is  most  proper  for  its  subsistence.  As  many  diflferent  species 
of  animals  as  there  are,  so  many  different  kinds  of  food  are  destined 
for  their  nutriment ;  so  that  every  creature  upon  the  earth  finds  food 
adapted  to  its  nature. 

In  this  view  we  may  divide  animals  into  three  principal  classes. 
The  first  comprising  all  those  which  are  nourished  by  the  flesh  of 


168 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


others  :  some  of  these,  as  the  Hon,  prefer  quadrupeds ;  others,  as  the 
pole-cat,  fowls;  others  fish,  as  the  beaver  ;  and  others  insects,  a^  dif- 
ferent species  of  birds.  The  second  class  will  comprehend  those  ani- 
mals which  derive  their  nutriment  from  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Al- 
most every  species  of  vegetables  is  the  food  of  some  particular  ani- 
mal. Some  prefer  grass,  others  the  fruit  of  trees  :  and  among  those 
which  live  upon  the  same  plant,  there  is  a  great  difference  of  choice  ; 
some  preferring  the  root,  others  the  leaves,  the  stalk,  the  seed,  the 
fruit,  and  some  are  fond  of  the  whole  plant.  The  third  general  class 
includes  the  greater  number  of  insects,  the  particular  nature  of  whose 
aliment  it  is  difficult  to  determine. 

We  may  now  see  the  propriety  of  these  words  of  the  Psalmist  : 
'  All  creatures  look  unto  Thee,  and  Thou  givest  them  their  meat  in 
due  season.  Thou  openest  thy  hand,  and  satisfiest  all  things  with 
that  which  they  desire.'  These  cares  of  Divine  Providence  evince 
that  eternal  goodness  which  is  diffused  throughout  the  universe.  If 
we  reflect  upon  the  prodigious  number  of  animals  which  exist ;  the 
many  thousand  species  of  insects  and  birds  ;  the  millions  of  terrestrial 
animals  in  every  part  of  the  globe,  that  have  their  abode  in  the  forests, 
in  the  fields,  on  the  mountains,  and  in  the  valleys,  in  the  caverns,  and 
in  the  holes  of  the  rocks,  in  trees,  and  in  the  earth  ;  the  innumerable 
shoals  of  fish  that  inhabit  the  ocean,  the  seas,  the  rivers,  and  the 
brooks  ;  the  infinite  variety  of  insects,  in  the  air,  in  plants,  and  on  ani- 
mals :  each  of  which  daily  finds  an  ample  support,  and  an  abundance 
of  food;  we  shall  be  lost  in  admiration  at  the  wisdom  of  the  munifi- 
cent Creator,  who  nourishes  them  all,  and  gives  to  them  severally 
the  aliment  most  adapted  to  their  nature.  From  this  wonderful 
diversity  in  the  food  of  animals,  nothing  that  nature  produces  is  use- 
less, but  tends  to  the  support  of  some  one  of  her  numerous  progeny. 
From  all  this  we  may  draw  a  most  happy  conclusion  ;  that  if  God 
thus  provides  for  creatures  destitute  of  reason,  he  will  not  do  less  for 
man,  whom  he  has  favoured  with  the  blessed  gift  of  reason,  and  to 
whom  these  animals  are  subservient. 


MAY  XIII. 

SENSES  OF  ANIMALS. 

In  every  animal  the  organs  of  sense  are  arranged  in  a  manner  most 
conformable  to  their  nature  and  destination.  By  means  of  the  senses 
they  take  cognizance  of  objects,  whether  near  or  at  a  distance  ;  and 
through  them  they  are  enabled  to  provide  for  their  wants,  and  to 
shun  the  dangers  with  which  they  are  threatened.  That  sense  by 
which  animals  are  able  to  form  an  idea  of  material  objects  by  touch- 
ing them  is  called  feeling,  which  is  chiefly  resident  in  the  extremi- 
ties of  numerous  nerves  covered  by  the  skin. 

The  organs  of  taste  are  the  tongue  and  the  palate  ;  the  savoury 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


169 


impressions  are  made  upon  the  nervous  papillae,  which  are  the  imme- 
diate instruments  both  of  taste  and  feeling,  between  which  two 
senses  there  is  considerable  analogy. 

The  organ  of  smell  is  the  delicate  membrane  which  lines  the  in- 
side of  the  nose  ;  and  by  means  of  the  ramifications  of  the  nerves 
upon  the  membrane,  the  odoriferous  vapours  that  float  in  the  air  are 
received  ;  and  those  animals  which  require  a  more  delicate  and  subtle 
smell  have  their  olfactory  organs  more  perfect.  Worms  seem  to  be 
destitute  of  this  sense,  as  are  in  all  probability  fish  and  insects ;  though 
the  antennae  of  the  latter  may  serve  them  instead.  By  means  of 
smell,  animals  are  enabled  to  hunt  out  their  food,  to  select  that  which 
is  most  suitable  for  them,  and,  by  being  apprized  of  the  approach  of 
their  enemies,  to  preserve  themselves  from  danger. 

By  hearing,  animals  become  susceptible  of  the  vibrations  of  air ; 
but  the  structure  of  the  ear  is  not  alike  in  all ;  some,  as  the  lizard, 
have  two  tympanums  ;  others  are  destitute  of  several  parts  common 
to  the  rest.  Birds  and  fish  have  not  that  part  called  the  meatus  audi- 
torius,  and  worms  and  insects  are  completely  deaf. 

The  eyes  are  the  organs  of  seeing.  Quadrupeds,  fowls,  fish,  and 
amphibious  animals,  have  two  eyes,  one  on  each  side  of  the  head. 
Insects  are  generally  furnished  with  more  than  two.  The  spider  and 
the  scorpion  have  eight ;  and  many  possess  them  by  thousands,  com- 
monly collected  in  two  orbits.  In  a  fly  sixteen  thousand  eyes  have 
been  enumerated  ;  in  a  beetle,  six  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
two;  and  in  a  butterfly,  thirty-four  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty. 
Fish  have  no  aqueous  humour ;  but  the  crystalline  lens  is  nearly 
globular. 

All  the  organs  of  sense  are  disposed  in  a  manner  not  only  most- 
suitable  to  the  structure  of  the  body  of  the  animal,  but  also  to  an- 
swer its  different  necessities.  To  be  convinced  of  this,  a  few  obser- 
vations will  suffice.  As  the  eyes  of  many  insects  are  immoveable, 
and  consequently  in  many  cases  would  be  useless,  nature  has  given 
them  antennae,  by  means  of  which  they  are  informed  of  what  w^ould 
be  injurious  to  them,  or  what  might  otherwise  have  escaped  their 
eight.  The  eyes  of  fish  are  disposed  with  equal  wisdom.  An  eye 
that  projected  far  out  of  the  head  would  be  very  inconvenient  to 
them,  and  we  find  their  cornea  is  nearly  flat ;  to  remedy  the  defects 
of  this,  the  crystalline  humour  is  globular,  which  in  most  other  ani- 
mals is  lenticular,  and  much  more  flat.  Though  eyes  are  generally 
spherical,  there  is  great  diversity  in  their  figure  ;  and  their  situation 
in  the  head  is  various,  according  to  the  different  destination  and  ne- 
cessities of  the  animal.  In  man,  who  sees  little  but  what  is  straight 
before  him,  the  eyes  are  situated  in  the  fore  part  of  the  head,  but  so 
arranged  that  they  can  receive  impressions  from  the  whole  semicircle 
of  objects  before  him.  In  birds,  the  eye  is  so  placed,  that  it  can  take 
in  at  one  view  nearly  the  whole  circle  of  objects  around  it,  by  which 
means  they  can  provide  their  food  more  easily,  and  are  less  liable  to 
be  surprised  by  enemies. 

The  ear  of  man  has  that  form  which  best  suits  his  erect  posture  ; 
15  W 


170 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


in  birds  it  is  particularly  adapted  to  occasion  no  impediment  to  their 
flight,  and  for  this  purpose  it  does  not  project,  but  is  close,  to  allow  of 
their  rapid  passage  through  the  air.  Thus,  though  we  know  but  a 
small  part  of  the  wonderful  mechanism  of  animals,  we  see  enough  to 
convince  us  of  the  wisdom  displayed  in  their  organization,  and  in  the 
arrangement  of  their  organs  of  sense.  And  the  more  information  we 
gain,  and  the  more  discoveries  we  make  upon  this  interesting  subject, 
the  more  cause  we  find  to  admire  the  wonders  of  nature,  and  to  adore 
the  goodness  of  God.  Let  us  not  then  treat  any  animal,  however 
insignificant,  with  contempt  or  indiflference  ;  they  all  bear  the  stamp 
of  divine  impression,  and  like  ourselves,  have  one  common  Parent, 
who  is  God  over  all. 


MAY  XIV. 

ORDER  OBSERVED  IN  THE  SUCCESSION  OF  FLOWERS. 

Every  plant  springs  up  in  the  earth  in  the  order  which  is  prescrib- 
ed to  it.  There  is  a  time  appointed  for  one  to  unfold  its  leaves,  for 
another  to  flower,  and  a  third  to  fade  and  die.  The  snow-drop  show- 
ed its  delicate  flower  above  the  ground  several  weeks  since,  long  be- 
fore the  trees  ventured  to  unfold  their  leaves,  even  whilst  ice  and  snow 
still  covered  the  earth.  The  crocus  next  appeared,  timidly  shrinking 
from  the  impetuous  winds ;  at  the  same  time  were  seen  the  sweet 
violet  and  the  auricula.  These  were  the  joyful  harbingers  of  the 
numerous  flowers  that  now  refresh  us. 

At  this  period  also  a  succession  of  flowers  is  observed,  and  every 
month  exhibits  new^  ornaments  peculiar  to  itself.  The  tuhp  begins 
to  develop  its  rich  leaves  and  flowers  ;  and  speedily  the  beautiful  ane- 
mone will  form  its  full  round  cup,  the  ranunculus  expand  all  the  mag- 
nificence of  its  leaves,  and  the  opening  rose  spread  its  beauties  to  the 
morning  sun,  and  fill  the  air  with  its  perfuming  fragrance  ;  nor  will 
the  elegant  pink,  with  its  graceful  charms,  be  wanting  in  the  beau- 
teous assemblage. 

By  the  wise  arrangement  displayed  in  the  regular  succession  of 
flowers  we  derive  the  greatest  advantages  ;  for  if  they  all  flourished 
at  the  same  time  we  should  either  have  them  in  excessive  abundance, 
or  we  should  experience  a  total  privation.  But  now,  that  each  spe- 
cies has  its  determinate  time  and  season,  we  can  contemplate  them 
at  our  leisure,  and  enjoy  them  with  greater  convenience ;  we  can 
dwell  longer  upon  their  beauties,  and  examine  each  singly  without 
the  confusion  of  numbers.  And  by  the  constant  succession  of  flowers 
we  do  not  suffer  from  the  shortness  of  their  continuance ;  for  the 
pain  of  seeing  one  die  is  solaced  by  the  budding  of  another,  and  our 
gardens  during  a  great  part  of  the  year  present,  as  well  as  attract, 
the  face  of  youth  and  beauty.  The  field  of  nature  is  open  to  all, 
and  he  who  prefers  the  sting  of  thorns  may  gratify  his  inclination  as 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


171 


well  as  he  who  delights  in  seeing  flowers  and  sweet  enjoyment 
attend  upon  all  his  steps.  As  flowers  succeed  to  each  other,  so  do  the 
individuals  composing  the  human  race  ;  as  some  are  born,  others  are 
returning  to  their  native  dust ;  and  as  some  are  just  beginning  to  be 
useful  to  the  world,  others  are  leaving  the  great  theatre  of  life  whilst 
new  actors  begin  to  pla}^  their  parts. 


MAY  XV. 

ZOOPHITES. 

Zoophiles  may  he  considered  as  insects  partaking  both  of  the  na- 
ture of  an  animal  and  a  plant.  By  their  external  configuration,  their 
remaining  in  one  place,  and  their  producing  themselves  by  buds  and 
seeds,  they  very  much  resemble  plants  ;  like  which  they  also  may  be 
propagated  by  grafts  and  slips.  Their  animal  nature  is  only  known 
by  their  sensibility  and  voluntary  motion.  The  greater  part  of  zoo- 
philes put  forth  a  kind  of  root  in  the  sea  and  waters  where  they  live  ; 
some  of  them  grow  in  stony  calcareous  substances,  and  others  are 
covered  by  a  shell,  which  resembles  horn,  whilst  many  are  soft  and 
fleshy.  They  all  possess  in  common  the  power  of  self-producing  new 
zoophites  ;  and  whilst  the  young  ones  are  attached  to  the  parent 
stalk,  they  form  but  one  animal ;  but  as  soon  as  they  are  separated 
from  the  stem,  they  have  a  proper  existence  by  themselves. 

Zoophites  also  multiply  themselves  in  a  way  very  similar  to  that  of 
plants.  They  form  a  species  of  germ  containing  a  young  zoophile, 
which  grows  for  some  time  on  the  stalk,  and,  at  length  falling  off, 
becomes  a  complete  animal.  They  do  not  appear  to  possess  either 
brain,  heart,  veins,  or  arteries  ;  but  their  w^hole  body  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  extremity,  forms  a  hollow  tube,  w^hich  may  be  regarded 
as  one  continued  stomach  or  intestinal  canal.  By  the  discovery  of 
this  humble  class  of  beings  in  the  creation,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  the  volume  of  natural  history  has  increased,  and 
our  ideas  of  the  gradation  of  beings  extended.  The  links  between 
animal  and  vegetable  nature  are  extremely  imperceptible,  and  difficult 
to  define.  The  only  distinguishing  characteristic  is  supposed  to  be, 
that  plants  have  neither  sensation  nor  motion,  whilst  every  species  of 
animal  both  feels  and  moves  ;  but  the  shades  between  these  are  so 
finely  di'awn,  us  in  many  instances  to  be  impenetrable  to  the  researches 
of  the  curious,  who  often  assert  for  truth,  discoveries  which  are  only 
within  the  probability  of  conjeclure. 


172 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


MAY  XVI. 

PLEASURES  DERIVED  FROM  THE  CULTIVATION  OF  FIELDS  AND 

GARDENS. 

The  cultivation  of  fields  and  gardens  is  one  of  the  most  delightful 
of  all  occupations,  and  perhaps  the  only  one  the  toil  of  which  is  re- 
compensed with  much  pleasure.  The  greater  part  of  laborious  em- 
ployments confine  a  man  to  his  shop,  or  within  his  house  ;  whilst  he 
who  devotes  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits  breathes  always  a  pure 
air,  and  enjoys  continually  the  grand  spectacle  of  nature.  The  azure 
sky  is  his  canopy,  and  the  earth  embroidered  with  flowers  his  carpet. 
Far  removed  from  the  murky  atmosphere  of  towns,  a  thousand  beau- 
tiful objects  present  themselves  to  his  view,  and  he  need  never  want  a 
pure  spring  of  delight,  or  real  banquet  of  pleasure.  Soon  as  the  first 
rays  of  morning  beam  light  on  the  earth  he  rises  with  the  lark,  and 
hastes  away  to  his  fields,  brushing,  as  he  passes,  the  glistening  dew- 
drops,  and  inhahng  the  fresh  unbreathed  air,  sweeter  than  the  rose's 
perfume. 

The  joyful  songs  of  the  birds  gladden  the  skies,  and  they  express 
their  loves  in  a  thousand  sportful  sallies.  Their  sweet  carols  mark 
the  pleasure  they  feel  in  the  new  day,  and  the  full  chorus  swells  with 
the  praises  of  the  God  of  nature,  whose  blessings  they  again  receive 
in  the  returning  influence  of  the  sun,  in  their  food,  and  in  the  sweet 
attractions  of  love  and  gayety.  And  surely,  no  heart  can  remain 
unmoved  amid  this  scene  of  joy  and  festivity  ;  nor  can  the  mind  con- 
template a  more  august  spectacle  than  the  perfection  of  God  in  the 
grandeur  of  his  designs  and  the  beauty  of  his  works. 

What  contributes  to  render  agriculture  and  gardening  more  parti- 
cularly pleasing  is  the  constant  variety  and  succession  of  objects 
always  presented  to  us,  which  relieve  the  wearisomeness  of  continued 
uniformity  and  undeviating  sameness.  We  continually  observe  a 
vast  variety  of  plants,  fruits,  herbs,  and  trees,  grow  up  under  our  aus- 
pices, and  assuming  every  diversity  of  appearance.  Nature  leads 
her  followers  through  a  thousand  flowery  paths,  ever  diversified  by 
new  changes  and  fresh  delight.  One  while  we  see  plants  just  peep- 
ing above  the  ground,  at  another  those  which  have  arisen  and  are 
fully  developed,  and  others  which  are  in  full  bloom.  Whichever  way 
we  direct  our  view  we  see  new  beauties.  The  heavens  above,  and 
the  earth  beneath,  contain  exhaustless  treasures  and  boundless  delights. 
Let  those  who  are  from  necessity  confined  within  the  walls  of  cities 
sometimes  emerge  from  their  smoky  atmosphere,  and  respire  a  purer 
air  in  the  country,  where  their  hearts  may  be  rejoiced  with  a  pure  and 
innocent  pleasure,  and  their  souls  rise  up  to  heaven  in  aspirations  of 
praise  and  gratitude  to  the  Author  of  every  blessing. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


17S 


MAY  XVII. 

THE  TULIP. 

The  tulip  is  one  of  the  finest  formed  and  most  beautiful  of  flowers  ; 
the  fineness  of  its  shape,  and  the  brilliancy  of  its  colours,  make  it 
the  queen  of  the  garden.  And  if  we  consider  that  each  year  millions 
of  them  blow,  all  differing  in  form  and  beauty,  our  admiration  in- 
creases, and  we  are  compelled  to  acknowledge  that  so  much  beauty 
and  elegance  cannot  be  the  effect  of  blind  chance,  but  must  have 
some  great  First  Cause  which  has  produced  them  in  its  wisdom  and 
beneficence,  the  existence  of  which  is  sufficiently  proved  by  the  tulip 
in  full  flower. 

Though  tulips  are  now  produced  from  roots,  there  was  a  time  when 
they  did  not  exist ;  and  whence  was  derived  the  first  bulb,  and  that 
primitive  arrangement  of  which  all  subsequent  revolutions  are  only 
the  development,  but  from  some  intelligent  cause  which  we  call  the 
Creator  ?  As  much  power  and  wisdom  are  displayed  in  the  structure 
of  a  single  tulip  from  which  ten  others  shall  proceed,  as  in  the  cre- 
ation of  ten  at  once.  Whenever  we  see  a  bed  of  tulips,  then,  let  us 
not  rest  satisfied  with  admiring  their  beauty  ;  let  us  also  admire  in 
them  that  wisdom  which  has  formed  them  with  such  perfection. 

Though  the  beauties  of  the  tulip  are  thus  so  eminently  conspi- 
cuous, they  lose  some  of  their  value  when  we  consider  they  are  only 
to  please  the  sight,  for  not  being  odoriferous  they  cannot  gratify  the 
smell ;  and  when  we  contrast  them  with  the  pink,  which  to  beauty 
of  form  adds  the  most  exquisite  perfume,  we  forget  immediately  the 
richness  of  the  tulip.  And  this  is  the  case  with  those  vain  people, 
who,  endowed  with  personal  charms,  set  them  off  with  every  addi- 
tional ornament  their  vanity  can  suggest ;  whilst  they  neglect,  and 
suffer  to  remain  uncultivated,  the  powers  of  the  understanding  and 
the  virtues  of  the  heart,  which  alone  can  render  them  acceptable  to 
their  Maker,  and  amiable  to  their -fellow-creatures.  The  beauty  of 
the  tulip  fades,  and  the  pride  of  person  is  laid  low  :  but  the  beauties 
of  the  mind  remain  to  cheer,  to  delight,  and  to  instruct,  when  the 
graces  of  form  are  no  more  :  and  the  virtues  of  the  heart  will  flou- 
rish, when  the  elegance  of  shape  and  the  vigour  of  body  are  de- 
cayed. 

The  simple  annals  of  plants  furnish  us  with  this  useful  observation, 
that  the  more  beautiful  a  flower  is  the  sooner  it  fades.  We  shall  soon 
see  no  more  of  the  tuhp  than  a  dry  and  dead  stalk ;  its  beauty  and 
life  only  last  a  few  short  weeks,  when  its  charms  are  destroyed,  its 
leaves  wither,  its  colours  fade,  and  all  that  remains  of  what  so  lately 
struck  us  with  its  beauties  is  a  sapless  stem.  Thus  we  learn  from 
the  tulip  the  little  dependence  that  is  to  be  placed  on  external  advan- 
tages ;  we  witness  the  frailty  of  beauty,  and  the  short  duration  of  life. 
For  like  the  flower  of  the  field  man  groweth  up  and  flourisheth,  and 
then  speedily  withereth  away  ;  his  days  are  few  and  full  of  troubles. 


174 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


And  may  we  so  live,  lhal  when  the  awful  period  arrives,  ihe  good  and 
the  virtuous  may  regret  our  loss,  and  the  afflicted  and  fatherless  mourn 
for  our  dissolution. 


MAY  XVIII. 

REFLECTIONS  ON  GRASS. 

Though  the  flowers  which  the  care  and  industry  of  man  cultivates 
in  the  gardens  are  extremely  beautiful,  we  should  know  little  of 
the  vegetable  kingdom  if  we  confined  our  attention  to  the  contempla- 
tion of  flower-beds.  Every  field  is  equally  the  wonderful  scene  of  the 
works  of  God,  and  equally  claims  our  attention.  Can  any  thing  be 
more  astonishing  than  the  great  quantity  of  grass  which  gr  ows  in  one 
meadow  ]  To  be  convinced  of  the  prodigious  number  of  blades  of 
grass,  we  need  only  attempt  to  reckon  them  as  they  are  growing  in 
any  given  space,  and  we  shall  soon  be  satisfied  of  their  superior  ferti- 
lity over  all  plants  and  herbs.  All  this  for  the  subsistence  of  various 
species  of  animals,  of  which  fields  and  meadows  may  very  properly  be 
considered  as  the  granaries. 

Another  great  advantage  to  be  considered  in  grass  is  the  little  care 
it  requires  in  its  cultivation;  and  that  it  will  grow  and  perpetuate  itself 
independent  of  the  labours  of  man.  Since  the  Almighty  Word  of  God 
said,  *Let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass,  the  herb  yielding  seed,  whose  seed 
is  in  itself,'  our  fields  have  been  uninterruptedly  fertile,  and  w  e  have 
known  no  deficiency  of  grass.  Its  colour  is  also  the  most  grateful ; 
for  who  could  have  borne  the  dazzling  lustre  of  white,  or  the  brilliant 
glare  of  red  1  If  the  universal  colour  had  been  more  dark  or  obscure, 
how  gloomy  and  dismal  would  have  been  the  face  of  nature  !  But  the 
ever-bountiful  Creator  has  neither  injured  our  sight  with  colours  which 
our  eyes  could  not  support,  nor  pained  it  by  obscure  gloom  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  has  clothed  the  fields  in  colours  that  strengthen  the  sight, 
and  please  by  their  diversity  :  for  such  is  the  difference  of  shade,  that 
scarcely  two  blades  of  grass  can  be  found  of  exactly  the  same  shade 
of  green.  By  this  arrangement  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  God  has 
not  provided  less  for  our  pleasure  than  for  our  advantage,  the  proofs 
of  which  every  where  present  themselves  to  our  observation  :  and 
may  we  never  pass  them  with  inditierence  or  disregard,  but  may  our 
reason  ever  be  employed  in  tracing  out  the  perfection  of  wisdom,  and 
the  consummation  of  goodness,  in  all  the  works  of  nature  ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


175 


MAY  XIX. 

SENTIMENTS   EXCITED  BY  THE  CONTEMPLATION  OF  THE  HEAVENS. 

What  Being  can  have  formed  the  superb  vault  of  heaven  1  Who 
has  given  motion  to  those  immense  globes  of  light,  whose  continu- 
ance is  perpetual,  and  velocity  inexpressible  1  Who  has  commanded 
the  vast  masses  of  inert  matter  to  assume  so  many  and  various  forms  1 
Whence  are  derived  the  connection,  harmony,  and  beauty,  of  the 
whole  ;  and  who  has  determined  their  proportions,  and  set  limits  to 
their  number  1  Who  has  prescribed  to  the  planets  laws  which,  during 
the  lapse  of  ages,  remained  undiscovered  till  the  sublime  genius  of 
a  Newton  unfolded  them  ?  Who  has  defined  the  vast  circles  in  which 
the  various  stars  roll  in  endless  spheres  ?  And  who  first  commanded 
them  to  move,  and  continue  their  course  in  uninterrupted  progression] 
All  these  questions  lead  us  to  thee,  our  adorable  Creator !  Self-exist- 
ing, infinite  Being !  to  thy  intelligence  and  supernatural  power  all 
these  heavenly  bodies  owe  their  existence,  their  laws,  arrangement, 
force,  and  influence  ! 

What  sublime  ideas  the  contemplation  of  these  grand  objects  raises 
in  our  souls  !  If  the  space  where  so  many  millions  of  worlds  are  re- 
volving cannot  be  measured  by  our  understanding  ;  if  we  are  lost  in 
astonishment  at  the  magnitude  of  the  spheres ;  if  the  edifice  of  the 
universe,  which  the  Almighty  has  formed,  be  so  immense  that  all 
our  ideas  are  confounded  in  its  contemplation  ;  what  must  Thou  be, 

0  God,  and  what  understanding  can  comprehend  thee?  If  the  hea- 
vens and  all  their  hosts  are  so  majestically  grand  and  beautiful  that 
the  eye  is  never  satiated  with  their  splendour,  nor  the  mind  satisfied 
with  the  contemplation  of  their  wonders,  what  must  Thou  be,  O  God, 
of  whose  glory  these  are  but  faint  shadows  and  feeble  images  1  What 
must  be  the  infinity  of  Thy  powers  and  the  extent  of  Thy  wisdom, 
when  Thou  seest  at  one  glance  all  the  immense  space  of  Heaven, 
with  its  revolving  worlds  ;  and  when  thou  penetratest  into  the  nature 
and  properties  of  every  existing  being  !  Thou  who  hast  formed  these 
admirable  plans,  who  hast  calculated  every  thing,  and  weighed  all  in 
thy  balance  ;  who  hast  established  the  laws  of  the  universe,  and  pro- 
posed to  Thyself  the  most  sublime  ends :  in  the  contemplation  of  Thee 

1  am  lost  in  sublimity,  and  prostrate  myself  before  the  throne  of  Thy 
glory,  unable  to  behold  Thy  refulgence ! 


MAY  XX. 

FECUNDITY  OF  PLANTS. 

The  magnificence  of  the  terrestrial  part  of  creation  is  never  more 
conspicuous  than  when  observed  in  the  astonishing  fertility  of  plants. 


176 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


A  single  plant  produces  millions  of  others.  One  tobacco  plant  pro- 
duces forty  thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty  grains  of  seed  ;  and 
if  from  this  we  calculate  the  produce  of  four  years,  we  shall  find  that 
there  may  be  produced  two  millions  six  hundred  and  forty- two  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  eight  billions,  two  hundred  and  ninety-three 
thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  millions,  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  grains  of  seed.  An  elm  of  twelve  years'  growth  often 
has  upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand  grains  of  seed  ;  and  what  a 
prodigious  number  must  spring  from  these  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years  !  Suppose  it  has  not  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  buds,  and 
that  the  shoot  of  each  year  contains  only  five,  there  would  be  every 
year  five  hundred  thousand  plants  which  may  be  considered  as  new. 
If  we  add  what  is  produced  by  the  extension  of  the  root  by  grafts,  &c. 
we  shall  be  astonished  how  the  earth  finds  means  to  support  the  nume- 
rous family  of  plants. 

We  must  also  recollect  the  innumerable  multitude  of  animals  that 
receive  their  nourishment  from  the  vegetable  kingdom  ;  they  annually 
make  so  great  a  consumption  of  plants,  that  if  nature  had  not  endow- 
ed vegetables  with  very  extraordinary  prolific  powers,  we  should  soon 
have  reason  to  be  apprehensive  of  their  total  destruction.  Sometimes 
mdeed  the  very  animals  that  devour  them  are  instrumental  in  their 
propagation  :  birds,  for  instance,  in  eating  the  fruit,  often  swallow  the 
kernels,  which  they  afterward  deposite  in  the  earth  without  any  in- 
jury ;  and  whilst  pecking  certain  fruits,  they  often  scatter  the  seeds 
to  a  considerable  distance;  and  this  dispersion  is  requisite,  that  one 
species  of  plant  may  not  occupy  a  whole  field.  For  this  purpose  also, 
certain  seeds  are  furnished  with  a  soi  t  of  wings,  that  they  may  be 
more  readily  dispersed  by  the  wind. 

Plants  are  much  more  prolific  than  animals ;  of  which  we  shall  be 
fully  convinced  by  comparing  them  together.  Plants  annually  pro- 
duce many  new  ones,  and  sometimes  continue  to  do  so  for  centuries  ; 
whilst  the  largest  animals,  as  the  elephant,  the  mare,  &c.  only  pro- 
duce one,  or  at  most  two,  yearly ;  and  are  often  entirely  barren. 
Small  quadrupeds,  as  the  dog,  the  cat,  the  rat,  &c.  though  much 
more  fruitful,  by  no  means  equal  the  fecundity  of  trees.  Fish  and 
insects  approach  nearer  to  it ;  the  tench  deposits  about  ten  thousand 
eggs,  the  carp  twenty  thousand,  and  the  cod  a  million.  But  if  we 
compare  this  fecundity  with  that  of  the  wild  rose,  of  the  mustard- 
tree,  and  the  fern,  we  shall  find  that  these  and  many  other  plants 
multiply  much  more  than  fish  or  insects  ;  besides,  they  are  propagated 
by  many  different  ways,  whilst  most  animals  are  confined  to  one  mode 
of  multiplying  their  species.  A  tree  may  produce  as  many  new  trees 
as  it  has  branches  and  leaves. 

From  these  considerations  we  may  learn  how  wisely  God  has  regu- 
lated the  continuation  of  the  vegetable  and  animal  species.  If  the 
multiplication  of  vegetables  were  less  considerable,  many  animals 
must  perish  for  want  j  our  fields,  meadows,  and  gardens  would  be  en- 
tirely desert,  or  enlivened  with  a  very  few  plants  scattered  up  and 
down  ;  and  had  the  Creator  thought  fit  that  the  animals  which  live 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


177 


upon  vegetables  should  become  more  numerous  than  the  plants,  the 
vegetable  kingdom  would  be  exhausted,  and  many  species  of  animals 
would  perish.  But  from  the  wise  relations  subsisting  between  the 
two  kingdoms,  the  inhabitants  of  each  multiply  in  a  just  proportion, 
and  no  species  is  destroyed.  Thus,  pleasure  and  abundance  every 
where  surround  us.  For  man,  the  Creator  has  given  to  vegetables 
their  fecundity  ;  and  for  his  nourishment,  pleasure,  and  health,  such 
a  multitude  of  plants  are  produced,  that  their  number  cannot  be  ex- 
pressed ;  and  thus  affords  an  image  of  the  immensity  and  omnipo- 
tence of  God,  who  through  all  the  kingdoms  of  nature  opens  his 
hand  and  satisfies  the  desire  of  every  living  creature. 


MAY  XXI. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BEAUTIES  OF  SPRING 

Nothing  is  more  worthy  of  admiration  than  the  revolutions  effected 
throughout  all  nature  by  the  influence  of  the  spring.  As  autumn  de- 
clines, every  valley,  every  meadow,  and  every  grove,  presents  us  with 
an  image  of  death :  and  in  winter  nature  is  entirely  divested  of  beauty; 
every  animal  is  sorrowful,  the  inhabitants  of  the  groves  hide  them- 
selves and  are  silent ;  the  earth  becomes  desert,  and  all  nature  seems 
to  suffer  a  state  of  torpor  and  insensibility.  However,  at  this  very 
time  she  is  working  in  secret,  though  we  are  ignorant  of  the  happy 
principle  which  is  preparing  her  renovation.  Life  returns  to  animate 
afresh  the  benumbed  body,  and  every  thing  prepares  for  a  similar 
restoration.  In  trees  alone,  what  a  multitude  of  changes  take  place. 
At  first  the  sap,  which  during  the  winter  had  entirely  abandoned  the 
trunk  and  branches,  slowly  rises  in  the  small  vessels  by  means  which 
we  cannot  discover  :  it  soon  penetrates  the  buds,  which  disclose  a 
thousand  wonders  ;  the  leaves  with  their  beautiful  green  ;  the  branches 
which  are  to  shoot  between  the  unfolded  leaves,  with  new  buds  at- 
tached to  them,  and  full  of  invisible  leaves  ;  the  multitude  of  flow- 
ers, with  the  sweet  exhalations  which  scent  the  air ;  in  these  blos- 
soms fruit,  and  in  those  fruits  the  seeds  of  an  infinite  number  of  other 
trees. 

The  brightness  of  the  sun  rejoices  the  soul,  and  the  activity  of 
nature  in  the  plants  which  surround  us  is  highly  pleasing.  Every 
field  delights  with  its  beauties  and  pleases  with  its  grateful  fragrance, 
and  every  bird  pours  forth  its  varied  melody.  How  cheerful  are  the 
notes  of  the  linnet  as  it  flutters  from  branch  to  branch,  as  if  to  attract 
our  regard !  The  lark  joyfully  soars  aloft,  and  hails  the  day  and  the 
coming  spring  with  her  melodious  strains.  The  cattle  express  the 
vigour  and  joy  which  animate  them ;  and  the  fish  in  the  rivers, 
which  during  winter  were  torpid  and  lay  at  the  bottom  of  the  water, 
now  rise  to  the  surface,  and  express  their  vivacity  by  a  thousand 
playful  sallies. 


178 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


How  is  it  possible  that  we  can  so  often  see  all  these  objects  without 
experiencing  the  most  profound  admiration  and  reverence  for  the  infi- 
nite Being  whose  power  is  so  gloriously  manifested  ?  Never  should 
we  bi  eathe  the  pure  air  of  spring  without  such  feelings  being  awaken- 
ed ;  let  us  never  contemplate  a  tree  in  leaf,  a  field  waving  with  corn, 
a  flowery  mead,  a  majestic  forest,  or  a  beautiful  garden,  without  re- 
flecting that  it  is  God  who  has  given  us  the  shade  of  the  trees,  and 
the  beauty  and  fragrance  of  the  flowers;  that  it  is  He  who  clothes 
the  woods  and  the  meadows  with  the  verdure  which  dehghts  and  re- 
freshes ;  and  that  He,  by  whose  will  and  power  we  exist,  has  given  to 
every  creature  life,  and  all  the  happiness  they  enjoy.  As  nature  feels 
the  influence  of  spring,  so  the  true  Ciu-istian  feels  ecstatic  bliss,  when 
after  having  hidden  his  face  for  a  while,  his  God  approaches  and 
breathes  into  his  soul  the  happy  testimony  of  his  grace  and  sal- 
vation. 


MAY  XXII. 

LANGUAGE  OF  ANIMALS. 

Man  may  be  considered  as  the  only  animal  which  enjoys  the  gift 
of  speech  ;  and  in  this  his  superiority  over  other  animals  is  most  espe- 
cially manifested.  By  means  of  speech  he  extends  his  empire  over 
all  nature,  and  raises  himself  towards  his  Divine  Author,  whom  he 
contemplates,  obeys,  and  adores.  By  the  faculty  of  speech  he  is 
enabled  to  make  known  his  wants  to  others,  and  to  render  them  sub- 
servient to  his  interest.  All  animals,  except  man,  are  deprived  of  this 
faculty,  because  they  are  destitute  of  that  reason  by  which  we  are 
enabled  to  acquire  languages,  and  to  know  the  use  of  speech.  But 
as  animals  possess  the  power  of  expressing  their  wants  and  feelings 
by  natural  signs,  and  certain  sounds  or  cries,  we  must  allow  them  a 
sort  of  language,  though  very  inferior,  formed  entirely  from  the  diver- 
sity of  the  tones  which  they  utter. 

To  form  a  just  idea  of  this,  no  very  laborious  researches  or  profound 
investigations  are  necessary ;  it  will  be  sufficient  to  observe  the  ani- 
mals which  daily  come  under  our  notice,  and  with  which  we  live  in 
familiar  intercourse.  Let  us  examine  the  hen  and  her  chickens  ; 
when  she  has  found  any  thing,  she  calls  and  invites  them  to  partake 
of  it ;  they  understand  her  call,  and  instantly  come.  If  they  lose 
sight  of  her,  their  plaintive  cries  express  their  distress,  and  the  desire 
they  have  for  her  guardian  presence.  Observe  the  different  cries  of 
the  cock  when  a  stranger  or  a  dog  advances,  or  when  some  bird  of 
prey  hovers  near  ;  or  when  he  calls  to  or  answers  his  hens.  Hear  the 
lamentable  cries  of  the  turkey,  and  see  the  young  brood  instantly 
hide  themselves  ;  the  mother  anxiously  looks  upward,  and  what  has 
she  discovered  !  a  black  point  that  we  can  scarcely  distinguish  ;  and 
this  is  a  bird  of  prey,  which  could  not  escape  the  vigilance  and  piercing 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  179 

eyes  of  the  mother  carefully  watching  for  her  flock.  The  enemy 
disappears,  and  the  hen  utters  an  exulting  cry  ;  her  anxiety  ceases, 
and  the  young-  ones  again  joyfully  assemble  round  their  mother. 

The  cries  of  the  dog  are  very  various,  copious,  and  expressive  : 
who  can  witness  without  emotion  the  joy  which  this  faithful  animal 
expresses  at  the  return  of  his  master  ?  He  leaps,  dances,  runs  about 
him  with  eagerness  ;  now  stops  and  eyes  him  with  the  most  earnest 
regard,  full  of  tenderness  and  affection  ;  approaches,  licks,  and  ca- 
resses him  repeatedly  ;  then  again  renews  his  frolicksome  gambols, 
disappears,  returns,  assumes  a  variety  of  sportful  attitudes,  barks,  and 
declares  his  joy  by  a  thousand  playful  gestures.  How  different  are 
these  joyful  sounds  from  those  which  he  utters  at  night  upon  the  ap- 
proach of  a  thief!  If  we  follow  a  hound  or  a  pointer,  how  different 
will  be  their  cries  and  their  motions,  according  to  what  they  wish  to 
express,  and  how  significant  are  the  movements  of  their  ears  and 
tails. 

This  may  afford  us  another  opportunity  of  admiring  the  wisdom  of 
the  Supreme  Being,  who  has  thus  manifested  to  all  creatures  his  ten- 
der cares,  by  giving  them  power  to  express  by  sounds  their  feelings 
and  their  wants.  From  their  peculiar  organization  it  is  impossible 
for  them  to  utter  the  language  of  man ;  but  though  destitute  of  that 
qualification,  they  are,  through  the  mercy  of  God,  enabled  to  commu- 
nicate their  sensations  to  one  another,  and  even  to  man  himself.  They 
possess  the  faculty  of  producing  and  varying  a  certain  number  of 
sounds,  and  the  structure  of  their  organs  is  such,  that  each  species 
has  peculiar  tones  by  which  it  conveys  its  meaning,  with  as  much 
perfection  as  their  nature  and  the  end  for  which  they  are  created  re- 
quires. 

How  superior  then  is  man  to  other  animals  by  his  powers  of  speech  ! 
Their  language  consists  in  the  utterance  of  imperfect  sounds;  they 
are  incapable  of  combining  and  comparing  ideas,  and  their  knowledge 
of  external  objects  is  very  limited  ;  whilst  man  possesses  faculties 
which  enable  him  to  ascend  from  particulars  to  general  notions,  and 
to  separate  the  object  from  the  qualities  which  distinguish  it ;  and 
having  obtained  this  knowledge,  he  is  enabled  through  his  powers  of 
speech  to  convey  it  to  other  individuals.  Let  us  then  pour  forth  the 
tribute  of  our  praise  to  the  Almighty  for  the  superiority  of  our  nature, 
and  the  great  faculties  he  has  bestowed  upon  us  ;  never  forgetting 
that  the  most  grateful  incense  which  ascends  to  Heaven  is  the  prayers 
of  the  afflicted  for  those  that  comfort  them ;  and  the  blessings  of  the 
ignorant  who  have  been  rescued  from  the  bondage  of  darkness,  and 
restored  to  the  cheerful  precincts  of  day  by  the  superior  intelligence  of 
a  fellow-being  who  has  devoted  his  days  to  the  cultivation  of  his  mind 
and  the  improvement  of  Iiis  heart. 


180 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MAY  XXIII. 

NUMBER  AND  MAGNITUDE  OF  CREATURES  UPON  THE  EARTH. 

'  The  works  of  the  Lord  are  vast  and  numerous  :'  we  should  have 
acknowledged  this  if  we  had  only  known  those  which  the  earth  con- 
tains ;  for  how  immense  is  this  globe,  the  abode  of  so  many  nations 
differing  from  each  other ;  and  how  many  solitudes  and  deserts  are 
still  uninhabited  by  man !  What  is  still  more  striking  is,  that  the 
solid  earth  does  not  occupy  near  so  much  space  as  the  water  ;  and  if 
the  earth  itself  is  an  example  of  the  greatness  of  the  works  of  God, 
how  much  more  so  is  that  diversity  of  creatures  which  it  contains  ! 

We  find  innumerable  species  of  stones,  minerals,  and  metals,  con- 
cealed in  the  bosom  of  the  earth  ;  whilst  an  astonishing  variety  of 
trees,  plants,  herbs,  and  fruits,  adorn  its  surface.  Notwithstanding 
all  the  care  which  has  been  taken  to  observe  and  classify  their  differ- 
ent species,  the  work  is  still  far  from  being  completed.  Let  us  next 
consider  the  extreme  diversity  of  living  creatures  which  offers  itself  to 
our  attention  !  How  great  the  disproportion  between  the  eagle  and 
the  fly,  the  whale  and  the  gudgeon,  the  elephant  and  the  mouse  !  and 
yet  the  interval  which  separates  them  is  filled  up  with  hving  crea- 
tures. The  various  species  of  animals  approach  each  other  so  nearly 
that  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  distinguish  them  ;  and  yet  these  are 
BO  multiplied,  that  from  the  fly  to  the  elephant  they  form  one  vast 
chain,  all  the  links  of  which  are  connected.  On  the  seas,  lakes,  and 
rivers,  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  and  wuthin  its  bosom,  there  is 
scarcely  any  space  that  is  not  occupied  by  some  living  creature. 

But  however  great  may  appear  the  number  of  creatures  which 
come  under  our  observation,  it  is  not  to  be  compared  with  those  which 
are  so  small  as  to  elude  our  perception.  With  the  microscope  almost 
incredible  discoveries  have  been  made,  of  which  all  who  choose  may 
convince  themselves.  By  its  means  we  are  presented  with  a  new 
world,  which  was  before  entirely  unknown  to  us  ;  we  there  see 
living  creatures  whose  extreme  minuteness  the  imagination  can 
scarcely  imbody,  some  of  them  not  equalling  in  size  the  millionth 
part  of  a  grain  of  sand.  And  it  is  not  only  their  number  and  diver- 
sity, but  their  beauty  and  delicacy  of  structure,  which  excites  our 
astonishment.  What  nearly  escapes  the  naked  eye,  when  viewed 
through  a  microscope  has  an  inconceivable  fineness  and  beauty. 
Brilliant  particles,  which  art  cannot  imitate,  glitter  in  a  grain  of  sand, 
and  particularly  in  some  insects  ;  for  example,  in  the  head  and  eyes 
of  a  small  fly  ;  and  we  observe  in  the  structure  of  the  most  insignifi- 
cant of  beings  the  utmost  symmetry  and  most  admirable  order :  in 
short,  we  find  millions  of  creatures  so  small  that  the  eye  cannot  dis- 
tinguish them  without  a  glass,  which  have,  notwithstanding,  an  orga- 
nization as  perfect  in  their  species,  and  are  as  proper  to  fulfil  the  de- 
sign of  their  creation,  as  the  larger  animals  with  which  the  earth  is 
peopled. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


181 


Considerations  like  these  are  well  calculated  to  teach  us  the  know- 
ledge of  our  own  littleness  ;  we  seem  to  be  lost  in  this  innumerable 
multitude  of  the  creatures  of  God,  which  would  amply  suffice  to  de- 
clare his  power,  though  the  whole  human  race  were  swept  into  anni- 
hilation. How  immense  is  the  empire  of  nature  !  in  every  element 
are  beings  created  and  preserved  ;  every  grain  of  sand  is  an  habitation 
for  insects  which  rank  amongst  the  creatures  of  God,  and  are  links  in 
the  vast  catenation  of  created  nature.  The  more  we  meditate  upon 
the  grandeur  and  diversity  of  the  works  of  God,  the  more  we  feel  the 
limits  of  our  understanding,  and  our  ideas  are  confused  by  infinitude  ; 
though  we  add  number  upon  number,  we  shall  never  be  able  to  find  a 
sum  equal  to  the  amount  of  all  the  creatures  which  inhabit  the 
earth.  Let  us  then  in  silent  reverence  adore  the  wisdom  of  the  im- 
measurable God. 


MAY  XXIV. 

SPRING    AN    EMBLEM    OF    THE  FRAILTY    OF    HUMAN    LIFE,    AND  AN 
IMAGE  OF  DEATH. 

At  this  season  we  need  not  search  far  for  images  of  frailty  and 
death  ;  they  every  where  present  themselves  connected  with  the 
beauties  of  nature.  The  design  of  the  Creator  in  this  seems  to  be, 
to  warn  us  of  the  inconstancy  of  terrestrial  things,  and  to  check  that 
dangerous  inclination  which  we  have  to  place  our  affections  upon  ob- 
jects which,  being  vain  and  transitory,  should  be  repressed.  Spring 
is  the  season  in  which  plants  receive  a  new  life,  and  in  which  many 
of  them  perish.  However  serene  are  the  days  of  spring,  they  often 
suddenly  become  darkened  by  clouds,  by  showers,  and  by  tempests. 
Sometimes  the  morning  dawns  in  the  fulness  of  beauty  ;  when,  ere 
the  sun  has  gained  the  mid-heaven,  the  lustre  which  flattered  our 
hopes  of  a  fine  day  vanishes  from  our  view  ;  at  other  times  our  most 
favourable  hopes  are  realized,  and  we  enjoy  all  the  attractions  of 
spring  in  full  perfection.  But  how  fugitive  are  these  happy  days, 
and  how  precipitate  their  flight !  Whilst  we  are  eagerly  courting 
their  presence  they  vanish  from  our  grasp ;  and  thus  fly  the  fairest 
hours  of  life,  even  as  fleeting  moments  of  spring.  The  morning 
often  meets  us  with  smiles,  and  promises  us  nothing  but  joy  and 
happiness  ;  but  ere  the  evening  comes,  even  before  we  have  attained 
the  noon,  we  experience  the  desolation  of  misfortune,  and  the  bitter- 
ness of  grief ;  wo  marks  our  course,  and  affliction  follows  our  steps. 

Let  us  pause  for  a  space,  and  consider  the  years  of  our  youth, 
which  we  may  regard  as  the  spring  of  our  life ;  how  fleeting  were  the 
pleasures  of  our  then  tender  age  !  Many  and  various  as  they  were, 
perhaps  none  of  them  now  remain.  Where  are  fled  those  happy  mo- 
rnents  when,  strangers  to  care,  we  gave  ourselves  up  to  the  intoxica- 
ting influence  of  joy,  and  the  enthusiastic  rapture  of  unrestrained 


182 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


imagination!  Where  is  now  that  gayety  of  heart  that  was  wont  to 
sparkle  in  the  countenance  and  cheer  the  admiring  beholder  1  And 
where  those  roses  which  once  bloomed  in  our  cheeks  ?  We  now  no 
longer  feel  the  turbulence  of  pleasure,  the  enthusiasm  of  ardour,  nor 
the  rapturous  fervour  of  delight,  which  were  wont  to  fire  our  senses 
and  intoxicate  our  souls.  We  remember  those  happy  days  no  more, 
but  as  the  illusion  of  a  dream,  or  as  some  pleasing  phantasy  that 
plays  upon  the  imagination,  and  suddenly  leaves  us  in  all  the  con- 
sciousness of  a  weary  existence.  But  it  is  not  so  with  those  who  in 
their  morning  of  life  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  to  learn  is  pain- 
ful, and  again  to  grow  young  impracticable  ;  who,  instead  of  expend- 
ing the  ardour  of  youth  in  the  pursuit  of  tasteless  frivolity  or  hopeless 
dissipation,  gathered  with  unceasing  toil  and  miwearied  assiduity  the 
rich  stores  of  wisdom,  the  enjoyment  of  which  will  ensure  to  them  a 
measure  of  felicity,  whilst  the  mere  butterflies  that  flutter  in  the  sun- 
beams are  buried  in  the  gloom  of  oblivion. 

Every  where  does  the  spring  declare,  in  the  expressive  language  of 
truth,  the  decay  of  life  and  the  uncertainty  of  time.  We  now  see  the 
trees  in  the  pride  of  verdure,  adorned  wäth  their  beautiful  blossoms  ; 
but  in  a  few  days  these  will  be  no  more.  All  those  tender  flowers, 
whose  beautiful  forms  diversify  nature,  w^ill  perish  in  the  same  season 
that  gives  them  birth.  Like  these,  the  period  of  human  life  is  short, 
and  its  longest  duration  may  be  compared  to  a  day  of  spring.  Death 
suddenly  closes  our  eyes  in  night,  even  when  the  crimson  tide  of 
health  promised  us  the  succession  of  many  years.  Often  the  canker 
worm  of  disease  is  secretly  gnawing  the  heart,  w^hilst  the  counte- 
nance yet  beams  the  lustre  of  health  and  the  radiance  of  youth.  Yet, 
though  the  charms  of  youth  are  blasted,  as  the  glory  of  the  valleys  is 
sometimes  darkened  by  the  north  wind,  or  as  certainly  as  the  pride  of 
the  garden  fades  ;  though  we  fall  hke  the  rose  which  blooms  to-day, 
and  to-morrow  withereth  ;  let  us  not  repine  nor  mourn  at  our  fate  ; 
but  let  us  enjoy  all  the  charms  of  spring,  and  the  blessings  of  life, 
which  the  Creator  has  graciously  bestow^ed  upon  us.  The  thoughts 
of  death  can  never  destroy  the  pleasure  of  the  virtuous,  nor  lessen  the 
delight  of  innocence  and  the  enjoyment  of  purity.  Far  from  filling 
the  mind  with  dismay,  and  rendering  gloomy  the  heart,  the  certainty 
of  death  teaches  us  the  insignificance  of  all  terrestrial  objects,  and 
leads  us  to  repose  upon  the  Supreme  Being,  in  the  hope  of  quitting  a 
world  where  every  thing  is  perishable,  for  the  regions  of  eternal  glory 
and  endless  felicity. 


MAY  XXV. 

SPRING  EMBLEMATICAL  OF  THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  BODY. 


Most  of  the  flowers  which  we  now  admire,  and  which  so  beautify 
the  earth,  were  lately  rough  and  shapeless  roots.    This  may  present 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


183 


us  with  a  beautiful  emblem  of  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous,  and 
the  reanimated  state  of  tlieir  bodies.  As  the  roots  of  the  most  exqui- 
site flowers,  while  buried  in  the  earth,  are  destitute  of  form  and  beauty, 
but  when  in  bloom  have  a  tliousand  charms — so  the  human  body, 
which  in  the  precincts  of  the  tomb  is  the  object  of  horror  and  aver- 
sion, in  the  day  of  resurrection  will  experience  a  most  astonishing 
change  ;  '  for  what  is  sown  in  corruption  is  raised  in  incorruption  ; 
what  is  sown  in  dishonour  is  raised  in  glory.'  As  soon  as  the  first 
mild  days  of  spring  appear,  life  and  joy  succeed  the  melancholy  im- 
pressions excited  by  the  rigours  of  winter ;  and  cause  the  chilling 
blasts  to  be  forgotten.  So  will  man  in  the  great  day  of  resurrection 
forget  all  his  troubles,  and  no  longer  remember  with  pain  the  afflic- 
tions of  his  past  life.  Whilst  in  this  state  of  existence,  anxiety 
lowers  on  our  brow,  and  our  countenance  often  expresses  the  language 
of  sorrow  ;  but  soon  as  the  cheering  rays  of  a  new  creation  shall  en- 
lighten our  souls,  grief  will  be  no  more  ;  no  clouds  will  obscure  the 
serenity  of  our  days,  and  a  heavenly  joy  will  gild  all  our  moments. 

Spring  is  the  joyful  season  when  the  earth  undergoes  a  general 
renovation  ;  if  in  the  winter  it  seemed  dull  and  lifeless,  it  now  ap- 
pears altogether  gay  and  attractive.  Every  object  delights  us,  and 
we  seem  each  spring  to  enjoy  the  pleasing  variety  of  a  new^  world. 
So  also  in  the  day  of  resurrection  will  the  just  man  be  transported  into 
a  new  and  delightful  region.  The  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth 
will  be  free  from  all  the  evils  which  now  so  often  trouble  us  ;  peace, 
order,  beauty,  and  justice,  will  render  our  future  abode  more  happy 
than  the  mot5t  ardent  imagination  can  conceive  to  be  possible. 

When  the  heat  of  the  sun's  rays  has  penetrated  the  earth,  thou- 
sands of  plants  and  flowers  rise  up  out  of  its  bosem.  So  will  it  be  on 
the  great  day,  when  thousands  of  generations  shall  arise  from  the 
dust  in  which  they  have  been  buried.  As  the  flowers  of  spring  come 
forth  from  their  seed  decked  in  beauty  and  splendour,  so  the  bodies  of 
the  righteous  which  have  been  deposited  in  the  earth  shall  one  day 
arise,  encompassed  with  glory  and  arrayed  in  beauty.  Spring  is  the 
epoch  of  vegetation  for  grass,  flowers,  and  every  species  of  plants  ;  it 
is  then  that  every  thing  which  has  pushed  above  the  surface  of  the 
earth  developes  itself  more  and  more  every  day,  and  visibly  increases 
its  strength  and  beauty  :  and  the  day  of  the  resurrection  shall  be  to 
the  soul  of  the  Christian  the  epoch  of  the  boundless  progress  he  w^ 
make  in  all  good  ;  no  weakness  will  detain,  no  obstacle  impede  him 
on  his  way  in  the  path  of  perfection ;  he  will  proceed  from  virtue  to 
virtue,  and  from  felicity  to  felicity.  In  spring  all  nature  seems  to 
arise  as  from  a  state  of  sleep  to  praise  its  Author  ;  the  notes  of  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  air  swell  in  one  universal  hymn  to  glorify  the  Be- 
ing who  formed  them ;  and,  in  the  joyful  hour  of  resurrection,  simi- 
lar songs  shall  ascend  from  the  children  of  God,  who  have  received 
new  life  and  immortality. 


184 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


MAY  XXVI. 

ATTRACTIVE  POWER  OF  BODIES. 

We  often  see  two  bodies  approach  each  other  without  being  im- 
pelled by  any  external  force.  The  cause  which  produces  this  effect 
is  called  attraction,  or  that  principle  whereby  the  minuter  particles  of 
matter  tend  towards  one  another.  This  power  of  attraction  is  one  of 
the  principal  agents  of  nature  ;  by  its  operation  fluids  ascend  in  ca- 
pillary tubes  ;  and  it  is  in  some  degree  the  cause  of  the  juices  circu- 
lating in  the  capillary  vessels  of  plants  and  animals.  The  expansive 
power  of  the  air  also  contributes  in  plants  to  this  effect,  for  a  portion 
of  air  is  found  in  the  fluid  by  which  they  are  nourished.  Vegetables 
are  also  provided  with  air-vessels,  which  imbibe  the  external  air,  and 
assist  the  ascent  of  the  sap  ;  but  the  chief  cause  of  this  phenomenon 
is  capillary  attraction.  It  is  well  known  that  a  series  of  capillary 
tubes  exist  in  the  human  body,  where  the  fluids  are  in  continual  mo- 
tion ;  and  this  motion  is  partly  regulated  by  the  laws  of  attraction. 
Many  of  the  phenomena  we  observe  in  the  material  world  have  this 
attractive  power  for  their  principle,  and  by  it  is  most  satisfactorily  ex- 
plained the  motion  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  These  spheres,  separated 
from  each  other  by  immense  intervals,  must  be  united  by  some  secret 
bond,  to  form  such  a  perfect  whole  as  the  solar  system.  It  is  now 
generally  admitted,  that  the  union  of  these  heavenly  bodies,  their 
direction,  the  law  which  prevents  them  from  deviating  from  their 
prescribed  route,  the  motion  of  the  planets  and  the  comets  round  the 
sun,  all  depend  upon  the  attractive  power  of  that  star,  and  the  gravi- 
tation of  these  bodies  towards  him.  How  admirable  is  that  wisdom 
which,  by  means  of  the  same  law,  causes  the  vegetation  of  grass  and 
the  motion  of  the  universe  ! 

All  these  reflections  lead  us  to  glorify  the  Supreme  Wisdom.  If  it 
manifests  itself  in  the  government  of  the  celestial  bodies,  il  is  equally 
apparent  in  that  of  rational  creatures.  The  Creator  always  acts 
upon  principles  equally  wise,  after  the  same  laws,  accomplishing  every 
thing  with  the  greatest  simplicity.  But  we  are  often  so  blind  as  not 
to  acknowledge  him,  because  we  imagine  that  he  only  appears  in 
things  which  possess  grandeur  and  brilliancy.  When  cities  and  pro- 
vinces are  devastated  by  an  earthquake,  inundated  with  water,  or 
consumed  by  fire,  our  attention  is  arrested  ;  and  in  these  convulsions 
of  nature  we  perceive  the  traces  of  Providence.  But  why  do  we  not 
perceive  him  equally  in  small  things  1  why  do  we  not  behold  the 
marks  of  his  wisdorh  in  the  common  occurrences  of  life?  Is  it  only 
extraordinary  events  that  proclaim  the  power  and  justice  of  God  ?  Is 
it  not  equally  displayed  in  the  smallest  blade  of  grass  as  in  the  mo- 
tion of  the  heavenly  bodies  1  To  be  convinced  of  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  which  are  manifested  throughout  the  kingdom  of  God,  we 
need  not  go  to  distant  places,  or  seek  amidst  remote  objects.  We 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


185 


need  only  dwell  on  what  relates  to  ourselves,  and  the  particular  dis- 
pensation of  Providence  in  our  own  behalf. 


MAY  XXVII. 

COMPLAINTS  OF  MEN  AGAINST  THE  LAWS  OF  NATURE. 

'Why  is  the  human  body,  from  its  constitution,  subject  to  so  many 
accidents  and  infirmities  V  Let  him  who  asks  this  question  say,  if  it 
is  possible  to  figure  to  himself  a  body  which  can  unite  more  advan- 
tages than  that  which  he  has  received  from  his  Creator !  It  was  in- 
compatible with  the  nature  and  catenation  of  things  below,  that  man 
should  be  provided  with  a  body  that  was  invulnerable.  Though  some 
are  deformed,  others  lame,  and  deaf  and  dumb,  we  have  no  reason  to 
murmur  at  the  decrees  of  Providence.  These  defects  are  not  so  fre- 
quent as  to  give  us  occasion  to  repine  ;  and  those  who  are  still  dis- 
posed to  complain  would  do  well  to  reflect  on  the  following  truths. 

It  is  useful  to  the  generality  of  men  that  some  examples  of  the 
defects  to  which  the  human  body  is  liable  should  now  and  then  oc- 
cur; for  when  a  healthy  and  sound  person  compares  himself  with 
one  who  is  not  so,  he  at  once  perceives  all  the  advantages  of  perfect 
and  well-formed  limbs ;  he  learns  to  prize  a  gift  of  whose  value  he 
was  before  ignorant,  and  is  more  careful  to  preserve  it.  How  precious 
is  each  eye,  each  organ  of  sense,  each  joint  and  limb — more  dear  to 
us  than  the  richest  treasure  !  Our  body  is  more  beautiful  and  regular 
than  the  most  superb  building,  more  excellent  than  the  most  exqui- 
sitely wrought  machine  ;  and  yet,  inferior  as  these  are,  we  are  far  from 
attributing  them  to  blind  chance. 

*  Why  are  some  countries  of  the  earth  so  different  from  one  an- 
other ;  sometimes  cold,  sometimes  wet,  sometimes  low,  at  others  ele- 
vated V  If  thou,  O  man  !  hadstthe  power  of  forming  a  globe,  where 
every  thing  should  contribute  to  the  welfare  of  men  and  animals, 
would  thy  understanding  furnish  thee  with  the  plan  of  one  better 
than  that  of  our  sphere  1  The  countries  of  the  earth  produce,  by 
means  of  their  diversity,  exhalations  and  different  winds,  from  which 
results  that  medium  of  air,  which  experience  teaches  us  is  best 
adapted  to  the  health  and  comfort  of  animal  life,  and  the  promotion 
of  vegetation.  '  It  is,  however,  incontestable  that  the  variations  of 
weather  are  not  advantageous  to  all  men  and  to  all  countries.'  But 
has  not  the  weather  which  has  preceded  an  influence  upon  that  which 
follows  1  and  the  temperature  of  one  country  an  influence  upon  that 
of  another  1  Is  it  in  our  power  to  judge  of  the  whole  ]  Are  a  thou- 
sand husbandmen  to  sigh  for  a  shower,  because  the  continuance  of  a 
drought  will  accommodate  the  arrangements  of  one  housewife  ?  A 
certain  state  of  air  will  occasion  in  some  places  a  degree  of  sterility  ; 
but  can  that  be  called  an  evil  which  prevents  the  impurity  of  the 
atmosphere  1  Should  an  east  wind,  benefiting  a  whole  country,  cease 


186 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


tö  blow,  because  from  its  violence  some  ships  are  wrecked,  and  some 
particular  people  injured  1  Is  it  just  or  reasonable  to  blame  or  remark 
imperfections  in  a  part,  when  we  cannot  comprehend  the  whole  1 
*  Why  are  there  so  many  noxious  animals  V  Does  any  one  think  that 
no  rapacious  animals  should  exist  upon  the  earth  1  Let  such  people 
reflect,  that,  by  the  beasts  of  prey,  the  number  of  animals  which 
would  be  troublesome  to  us  is  diminished.  And  it  is  because  many 
animals  serve  for  food  to  beasts  of  prey,  that  the  number  of  living 
creatures  is  preserved.  If  these  rapacious  beasts  did  not  exist,  the 
carcasses  of  the  animals  they  devour  would  be  rather  prejudicial  than 
useful.  The  animals  thus  devoured  are  replaced  by  others,  and  the 
population  is  regulated  by  the  means  of  subsistence  ;  hence  flies  and 
many  insects  would  perish  from  want,  if  the  animals  which  feed  upon 
them  did  not  thin  their  numbers. 

'  Whence  is  it  that  the  Creator  has  regulated  the  course  of  nature 
by  such  invariable  laws  V  Is  it  not  precisely  by  means  of  this  ar- 
rangement that  man,  assisted  by  nature  and  guided  by  experience,  is 
enabled  to  make  use  of  his  understanding  and  of  his  powers,  and  be- 
come in  some  degree  the  worker  of  his  own  good  ?  Would  we  wish 
to  dwell  in  a  world  wehere  we  should  have  no  occasion  for  activity ; 
where  none  of  our  pleasures  could  be  increased  by  any  exertions  on 
our  part ;  where  there  was  no  rule  or  fundamental  law  ;  and  where 
the  alternations  of  good  and  evil,  of  pleasure  and  of  pain,  being  un- 
known, we  should  have  nothing  to  render  us  attentive  to  the  laws  of 
nature  ? 

There  will  ever  be  a  number  of  things  in  nature,  the  designs  of 
which,  and  the  relations  they  bear  to  each  other,  must  remain  con- 
cealed ;  and  we  may  find  some,  \vhich,  to  our  limited  understanding, 
appear  contradictory,  and  little  adapted  to  the  plan  of  the  Deity.  But 
in  such  cases,  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  God  performs  every  thing  with 
the  wisest  and  most  beneficent  views  ;  and  when  any  doubts  and  dif- 
ficulties shall  arise,  let  us  say  with  the  apostle — *  O  the  depth  of  the 
riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  !  How^  unsearch- 
able are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out !  For  who 
hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ?  Or  who  hath  been  his  coun- 
sellor ?  For  of  him,  and  through  him,  and  to  him,  are  all  things ;  to 
whom  be  glory  for  ever.  Amen.' 


MAY  XXVIII. 

OF  THE  SINS  TO  WHICH  WE  ARE  MOST  PRONE  DURING  THE 

SPRING. 

Is  it  possible  that  we  can  profane,  by  sin,  that  season  which  of  all 
others  should  more  especially  animate  us  to  the  practice  of  piety  ?  Is 
it  not  natural  to  suppose  that  in  these  beautiful  days  every  field  would 
be  a  temple  where  we  might  oflfer  up  the  incense  of  a  grateful  heart. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


187 


and  the  thanksgiving  of  a  virtuous  mind  ;  wliere  every  thought,  sen- 
timent, and  action,  should  tend  to  the  glory  of  our  Creator  ?  But, 
alas  !  we  daily  witness  the  ingratitude  of  men  towards  their  heavenly 
Benefactor  ;  they  see  nature  renewed,  they  see  the  flowers  that  had 
decayed  revive,  and  a  variety  of  pleasing  objects  every  where  attract 
their  notice,  without  ever  thinking  of  their  Maker,  and  rendering 
unto  him  the  just  praises  of  his  excellence.  This  odious  vice  of  in- 
gratitude, the  source  of  much  iniquity,  is  most  evident  at  this  season  ; 
and  shall  man,  the  only  creature  in  the  universe  capable  of  reflecting 
upon  his  happiness,  be  the  only  one  insensible  to  it  ? 

It  is  to  such  an  unfeeling  and  ungrateful  soul  that  I  now  address 
myself ;  but  I  can  scarcely  expect  my  feeble  accents  to  penetrate 
within  the  recesses  of  thy  heart,  when  the  voice  of  God  has  been 
heard  in  vain,  and  the  energetic  and  expressive  language  of  nature 
disregarded.  Canst  thou  forget  thy  Creator,  when  all  his  works  de- 
clare him  ]  If  thou  knowest  not  thy  God,  thou  canst  neither  know 
thyself  nor  the  world  in  which  thou  livest.  Every  creature  reminds 
thee  of  its  Author  ;  every  place  in  the  vast  dominion  of  nature  is  full 
of  the  Deity.  He  manifests  himself  in  every  blade  of  grass  ;  in 
every  flower,  and  in  every  bird,  he  speaks  the  sweet  and  persuasive 
language  of  nature  :  he  addresses  himself  to  thy  senses,  to  thy  rea- 
son, to  thy  conscience,  and  to  all  thy  faculties.  Listen  to  this  lan- 
guas^e,  and  thou  mayest  become  sensible  and  grateful. 

How  dost  thou  employ  these  fine  days  of  spring?  Surely  thou 
shouldst  emerge  from  thy  chamber  and  visit  the  treasures  of  the 
fields,  and  the  beauties  of  the  gardens,  where  thou  mightest  inhale 
a  pure  and  balmy  air.  But  beware  of  yielding  to  the  extravagance 
of  sinful  pleasures ;  in  whose  train  follow  anguish,  disease,  and  in- 
famy. Truly  to  enjoy  the  beauties  of  spring  and  all  the  delights  of 
the  season,  is  to  observe  with  attention  the  works  of  nature,  whilst 
thy  reason  informs  thee  of  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  Creator 
there  displayed  ;  thy  heart  will  then  experience  raptures  infinitely 
superior  to  the  pleasures  of  those  who  forget  their  God. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  those  w^ho  in  this  season  are  tlie 
slaves  of  care,  and  fear  they  shall  not  be  able  to  find  the  means  of 
subsistence.  O  ye  of  little  faith  !  Behold  the  lilies  of  the  field  how 
they  grow ;  consider  the  fowls  of  the  air,  they  sow  not,  neither  do 
they  reap,  yet  their  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Be  assured,  then, 
and  put  your  full  confidence  in  God.  Spring  is  the  season  of  hope, 
give  it  a  place  in  your  bosom ;  and  when  doubts  shall  assail,  and 
fears  come  upon  you,  cast  your  view  abroad  over  the  fields  and  mea- 
dows, and  remember  the  words  of  your  Redeemer  :  '  If  God  so  clothe 
the  grass  of  the  field,  if  he  feed  the  fowls  of  the  air,  how  much  more 
will  he  nourish  thee,  O  thou  of  little  faith  The  wicked  only  have 
cause  to  fear  for  the  future  ;  but  he  who  unites  integrity  to  industry, 
and  virtue  to  intellect,  will  ensure  unto  himself  a  portion  of  comfort 
here,  and  ever-during  felicity  in  the  world  to  come.  Let  us  then  re- 
joice in  our  existence,  and  while  we  employ  this  delightful  season  of 
the  year  in  contemplating  the  works  of  nature,  look  up  with  joy  and 


188 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


gratitude  to  him  who  ha-s  given  us  the  glorious  privilege  above  mil- 
lions of  other  creatures,  of  knowing  the  God  of  nature  is  the  sole  au- 
thor of  all  happiness. 


MAY  XXIX. 

HARMONS'  OF  BE^S. 

The  comfort  and  happiness  which  bees  enjoy  are  in  a  considerable 
degree  owing  to  their  harmony  and  patriotism.  At  least,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  their  community  must  be  immediately  destroyed  if  they  did 
not  live  together  in  a  state  of  union.  From_  the  observations  of  those 
who  have  investigated  this  subject,  it  appears  that  these  insects  return 
to  their  hives  laden  with  materials  for  building  their  cells,  and  there 
are  others  in  waiting  to  ease  them  of  their  burden.  They  again 
sally  forth,  and  whilst  they  are  collecting  fresh  materials,  those  which 
remain  in  the  hive  knead  together  the  little  parcels  which  the  others 
have  brought,  and  thus  prepare  a  mass  proper  for  building.  Others, 
which  are  not  immediately  employed  in  working,  render  kind  offices 
to  the  labourers,  and  bring  them  food,  that  the  work  may  go  on  with- 
out interruption. 

The  patriotism  of  bees  is  not  less  than  their  harmony.  The  wealth 
of  the  whole  state  consists  in  the  riches  of  each  citizen  ;  and  this  nu- 
merous republic  forms  but  one  family,  in  which  is  no  personal  interest, 
no  avarice,  and  no  rapine  :  here  no  troop  of  bees  unites  to  do  violence 
to,  or  fight  against  the  interests  of,  each  other  ;  no  bee  is  ever  found 
living  in  luxury  and  superfluity,  whilst  another  is  destitute  of  the  ne- 
cessaries of  life ;  nor  are  they  anxious  to  acquire  more  honey  than 
will  suffice  for  their  winter's  provision. 

Insignificant  as  these  insects  may  appear,  we  may  learn  from  them 
those  virtues  upon  which  depend  the  repose  and  the  happiness  of  our 
lives.  In  whatever  state  or  condition  we  may  be  placed,  it  is  neces- 
sary for  us  to  act  in  concert  w^ith  our  fellow-creatures,  and  to  cultivate 
the  virtues  of  patriotism:  the  society  in  which  we  live,  Christianity, 
and  our  own  happiness,  demand  it.  Let  us  cheerfully  bear  our  part 
of  the  general  burden,  and,  if  it  is  necessary,  charge  ourselves  with 
the  burden  of  another,  who,  from  ignorance  or  weakness,  is  unable 
to  support  it.  And  when  our  duty,  our  conscience,  and  our  religion, 
require  us  to  make  sacrifices  for  our  brethren,  let  us  never  regard  it  as 
a  loss  ;  but  rather  consider  it  as  an  honour  that  we  have  been  capable 
of  labouring  with  more  zeal  and  success  than  others.  Let  the  base 
principles  of  selfishness  never  find  a  place  in  our  hearts ;  they  who 
endeavour  to  enrich  themselves  at  the  expense  of  another,  and  to  ap- 
propriate unto  themselves  alone  the  treasures  of  their  country,  are 
despicable  members  of  society,  who  have  forfeited  their  dignity,  and 
sunk  beneath  the  level  of  brutes.  Whenever  w^e  are  in  any  degree 
able  to  contribute  to  the  general  good,  let  not  the  uncertainty  of  being 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


189 


rewarded  prevent  our  exertions ;  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience 
and  the  blessings  of  eternity,  will  sufficiently  repay  us. 

It  is  too  true,  however,  that  one  of  the  greatest  evils  of  life  is  the 
want  of  harmony  and  concord  among  the  individuals  of  the  human 
race.  Even  in  this  we  may  admire  the  wisdom  of  God,  who  notwith- 
standing the  want  of  union,  and  the  disorders  which  reign  in  the 
world,  notwithstanding  the  universal  self-interest  which  governs 
men,  still  supports  society  and  renders  it  flourishing.  When  a  care- 
ful pilot  steers  his  vessel  in  safety  amidst  the  shoals  and  the  rocks 
against  which  the  waves  strive  to  dash  him,  we  admire  his  skill  and 
experience ;  so  when  we  see,  in  spite  of  the  wickedness  of  men,  in 
the  midst  of  the  storms  and  ebullitions  of  their  passions,  the  dominion 
of  wisdom  and  the  preservation  of  virtue,  we  may  admire  and  rever- 
ence the  eternal  wisdom  of  Him  who  governs  the  universe. 


MAY  XXX. 

PRODIGIOUS  NUMBER  OP  PLANTS  UPON  THE  EARTH. 

More  than  twenty  thousand  diflferent  species  of  plants  have  been 
already  observed,  and  new  ones  are  daily  discovered.  By  means  of 
the  microscope  some  have  been  found  where  they  were  least  expected. 
The  different  variety  of  mosses  and  sponges  have  been  classed  among 
vegetables,  and  have  presented  to  the  observation  of  the  naturalist 
seeds  and  flowers  before  unknown.  Freestone  is  sometimes  covered 
with  brown  and  blackish  spots  ;  the  mouldy  substance  which  com- 
poses them  adheres  to  various  other  matters,  and  may  be  considered 
as  a  little  garden  in  vegetation,  where  the  plants,  though  exceedingly 
minute,  have  visible  seeds  and  flowers.  When  we  reflect  upon  the 
quantity  of  moss  which  covers  even  the  hardest  stones,  the  trunks  of 
trees,  and  the  most  barren  places  ;  when  we  consider  the  quantity  of 
vegetables  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth ;  the  different  species  of 
flowers  which  delight  and  refresh  us  ;  the  trees  and  bushes  ;  add  to 
these  the  aquatic  plants,  some  of  which  exceed  a  hair  in  fineness  ; 
we  may  be  able  to  form  some  idea  of  the  multitude  of  plants  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom. 

All  these  species  grow  up  and  are  preserved  without  detriment  to 
one  another,  each  having  a  place  assigned  it  which  is  most  suited  to 
its  properties.  Such  is  the  wisdom  displayed  in  their  distribution  over 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  that  there  is  no  part  of  it  wholly  destitute, 
and  no  part  enjoys  them  in  too  great  abundance.  Some  plants  require 
the  open  field,  where,  unsheltered  by  trees,  they  may  receive  the  sun's 
rays ;  others  can  only  exist  in  water ;  some  grow  in  the  sand  ;  others 
in  marshes  and  fens,  which  are  frequently  covered  with  water ;  and 
some  bud  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  whilst  others  unfold  themselves 
in  its  bosom. 

The  different  strata  which  compose  the  soil  of  the  earth,  as  sand, 


190 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


clay,  chalk,  &c.  have  each  their  different  vegetables  ;  and  hence  it 
is  that  in  the  vast  garden  of  nature  nothing  is  absolutely  sterile  ; 
from  the  finest  sand  to  the  flinty  rock,  from  the  torrid  to  the  frozen 
zone,  each  soil  and  climate  supports  plants  peculiar  to  itself. 

Another  circumstance  highly  worthy  of  attention  is,  the  Creator 
has  so  ordered,  that,  among  this  immense  variety  of  plants,  those 
which  are  most  proper  for  food  or  medicine,  either  to  man  or  beast, 
grow  in  greater  abundance  than  those  which  are  of  less  utility. 
Herbs  are  nmch  more  numerous  than  trees  and  brambles  ;  grass  is  in 
greater  abundance  than  oaks  ;  and  cherry-trees  more  plentiful  than 
apricots  :  had  oaks  been  more  frequent  than  grass,  or  trees  than  herbs 
and  roots,  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  animals  to  subsist. 
Almighty  and  merciful  God,  here  also  w^e  have  to  acknowledge  the 
wonders  of  thy  Providence  !  Thy  goodness  is  every  where  manifest- 
ed, and  there  is  no  mind  so  weak  that  does  not  comprehend  that 
Thou  art  all-great,  all-powerful,  and  good !  to  be  convinced  of  this 
we  have  only  to  contemplate  the  widely  extended  vegetable  kingdom. 
Wherever  we  go  at  this  season  of  the  year,  we  w^alk  on  plants  and 
flowers ;  and  as  far  as  we  can  extend  our  view  we  behold  fields  and 
meadows,  covered  with  the  rich  blessings  of  heaven  ! 


MAY  XXXI. 

PLURALITY   OF  WORLDS. 

Pride,  ignorance,  or  self-love,  induce  some  people  to  believe  that 
our  world  is  the  only  part  of  the  immense  universe  which  is  inhabited ; 
that  the  sun  is  only  formed  to  give  us  his  hght  and  heat ;  and  that 
the  moon  and  the  stars  answer  no  other  purpose  than  to  enlighten 
the  gloom  of  our  nights,  and  serve  as  guides  to  the  mariner  and  the 
traveller.  The  contemplation  of  the  fixed  stars  alone  is  sufficient  to 
refute  this  absurd  opinion.  Their  brilliancy  demonstrates  that  they 
shine  by  their  own  light ;  and  from  their  being  visible  to  us  notwith- 
standing their  immense  distance,  we  are  justified  in  supposing  them 
to  be  much  larger  than  our  sun.  And  is  it  consonant  with  divine 
wisdom,  w^hich  has  not  created  a  single  particle  of  matter  in  vain, 
that  these  immense  bodies,  each  in  itself  a  sun,  so  numerous  and  so 
distant  from  our  earth,  should  shine  with  ineffectual  light,  and  not  be 
destined  to  some  great  and  noble  end  ? 

If  they  were  merely  intended  to  serve  as  nocturnal  lights  to  our 
world  they  could  be  of  no  use  during  the  greatest  part  of  the  year. 
The  clouded  atmosphere  which  often  envelopes  us,  and  the  short 
nights  of  summer,  which  are  sufläciently  light  without  the  aid  of 
stars,  would  render  them  useless  ;  and  those  stars,  of  which  there 
are  many  which  we  cannot  see  with  the  naked  eye,  because  of  their 
vast  distance,  would  exist  in  vain  :  and  their  supposed  destination 
would  be  much  better  accomplished  by  one  single  star  placed  nearer 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


191 


to,  than  by  millions  so  distantly  situated  that  their  rays  could  not 
reach  us.  The  same  kind  of  reasoning  will  hold  for  whatever  use  we 
imagine  the  stars  to  be  created  ;  whether  for  the  purposes  of  naviga- 
tion, or  any  other  use,  we  shall  fall  equally  short  of  the  truth,  and 
must  ultimately  be  brought  to  confess  that  if  no  creatures  beyond  our 
globe  profited  by  their  light  and  heat,  or  if  they  themselves  were  not 
inhabited  by  living  beings,  their  creation  would  be  useless,  and  their 
existence  superfluous  :  but  the  Almighty  has  created  nothing  that  is 
not  pregnant  with  utility  ;  and  if  we  can  discover  nothing,  however 
insignificant,  on  this  earth  that  does  not  answer  some  end,  how  much 
more  must  these  immense  bodies  tend  to  manifest  the  power  and  glory 
of  God! 

This  conclusion  will  appear  still  more  just  if  we  reflect  attentively 
upon  the  solar  system.  We  have  seen  in  a  former  discourse  that  the 
moon  in  many  respects  resembles  our  earth  ;  and  from  all  that  we 
have  been  able  to  discover  of  her,  we  have  reason  to  believe  she  con- 
tains inhabitants.  The  analogy  between  the  moon  and  the  planets 
leads  us  to  suppose  they  also  are  inhabited ;  and,  as  each  fixed  star 
has,  according  to  all  appearance,  like  our  sun,  its  particular  planets, 
so  we  may  reasonably  suppose  they  in  some  degree  resemble  the 
planets  in  our  system:  and  thus  we  see  around  us  an  innumerable 
multitude  of  worlds,  each  having  its  peculiar  arrangement,  laws,  pro- 
ductions, and  inhabitants. 

How  infinite  are  the  works  of  God !  How  majestic  the  starry  hea- 
vens !  and  how  great  must  be  their  Creator,  whose  glory  millions  of 
w^orlds  declare,  and  whose  all-intelligent  power  the  myriads  which 
inhabit  them,  adoring,  acknowledge  !  Let  us  unite  in  the  heavenly 
choir,  that  whilst  incense  from  millions  of  worlds  is  ascending  unto 
the  God  of  all  power,  we  alone  may  not  be  wanting  in  the  universal 
song  of  joy,  of  praise,  and  of  thanksgiving,  to  the  great  God  of  all, 
the  Father  of  light  and  glory.  How  grandly  does  the  prospect  of 
futurity  open  upon  our  souls,  when  we  shall  become  acquainted  with 
the  worlds  whose  existence  we  can  now  barely  ascertain,  and  the 
least  of  whose  wonders  we  are  unable  to  comprehend !  when  we 
shall  be  initiated  into  all  the  mysteries  of  heaven,  and  admitted 
within  the  circle  of  that  glory  w^hose  radiance  emanates  from  the 
Creator ! 


A  HYMN  OF  THANKSGIVING. 

Celebrate  the  praises  of  the  Lord,  and  adore  him.  Exalt,  praise, 
and  sing  the  marvellous  and  wonderful  works  of  your  Creator,  all  ye 
whom  he  has  made  capable  of  enjoying  them  !  For  great  is  his 
power  who  has  created  the  heaven  and  all  its  hosts,  w^hose  beauty 
and  splendour  announce  the  glory  of  the  Parent  of  light  and  life  ; 
the  universe  declares  it,  and  the  eye  is  never  weary  with  contempla- 
ting that  in  which  it  continually  discovers  new  beauties.    But  the 


192 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


eye  alone  does  not  enjoy  these  pleasures  ;  the  beauties  of  nature  speak 
to  the  soul,  and  fill  it  with  rapture. 

O  man,  is  there  a  blade  of  grass,  a  leaf,  or  a  grain  of  dust,  which 
does  not  proclaim  to  thee  the  council  of  the  strong  God  ?  How  rich 
is  He  in  power  and  beneficence  !  but,  alas  !  how  often  does  He  find 
thee  insensible ;  thy  heart  is  hardened,  and  thine  eye  turns  away 
from  his  works  !  Yet  for  thee  His  creative  hand  has  diffused  hfe  and 
beauty  through  all  things ;  for  thee  He  has  created,  preserved,  and 
adorned  so  many  different  beings  which  thou  beholdest  in  the  garden 
of  nature. 

Thy  God  has  need  of  nothing :  it  is  for  thy  happiness  that  he  has 
diversified  the  creation  with  so  many  charms,  and  that  he  has  endued 
thee  with  an  intelligent,  immortal  soul.  Why  then  wilt  thou  seek 
happiness  in  that  which  is  false  and  deceitful?  Turn  thine  eye  to 
thy  God  ;  from  him  thou  wilt  derive  true  felicity  :  enjoy  the  bless- 
ings which  he  gives  thee,  and  repentance  will  never  foilow  the  enjoy- 
ment. 


JUNE  L 

DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  THE  WORKS  OF  NATURE  AND  OF  ART. 

When  we  compare  the  works  of  nature  with  those  of  art,  we  find 
that  the  former  infinitely  surpass  the  latter.  And  when  we  consider 
that  the  works  of  art  are  merely  imitations  from  nature,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  entertained  on  the  subject.  The  nearer  an  artist  approaches 
to  nature  the  more  perfect  is  his  work  ;  he  can  invent  nothing  that  is 
new,  and  his  most  sanguine  hopes  are  to  imitate  nature,  w^iich  is  rich 
and  various,  whilst  the  variety  of  art  is  soon  at  an  end,  and  her  re- 
sources quickly  exhausted.  The  kingdom  of  nature  is  almost  unli- 
mited ;  we  may  every  where  find  treasures  inexhaustible,  and  stores 
without  end  ;  her  minutest  objects  are  worthy  of  observation  ;  and 
whether  we  examine  a  stone,  a  plant,  or  an  animal,  we  shall  find  that 
they  contain  beauties  which  captivate,  and  perfections  which  asto- 
nish. The  works  of  art,  on  the  contrary,  are  soon  exhausted  :  if  we 
scrutinize  them  with  the  eye  of  critical  nicety,  we  discover  faults 
which  we  did  not  expect,  and  imperfections  which  we  did  not  ima- 
gine ;  our  admiration  ceases,  and  we  turn  from  them  without  de- 
light. 

The  works  of  art,  and  the  proudest  monuments  of  human  skill, 
are  mouldering  in  the  dust,  while  those  of  nature  continue  in  the  vi- 
gour of  youth  and  the  freshness  of  beauty.  The  advantage  of  the 
latter  in  structure,  over  the  former,  is  not  less  evident ;  whoever  com- 
pares the  mechanism  of  the  most  ingenious  machine  with  that  of  ani- 
mals, will  be  amazed  with  the  one,  whilst  he  considers  the  other  as 
a  mere  bauble,  or  toy.  To  take  the  human  body  as  an  example  : 
how  wonderfully  is  it  organized  !   The  perfect  and  regular  structure 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


193 


of  the  muscles,  each  one  admirably  adapted  to  its  particular  use  ;  the 
circulation  of  the  blood ;  the  complicated  variety  of  motions ;  the 
symmetry  of  the  limbs,  and  the  diversity  of  the  functions  ;  all  dis- 
play the  most  abundant  proofs  of  the  works  of  an  Artificer,  in  com- 
parison of  which  those  of  man  are  of  less  account  than  the  dust  in  the 
balance. 

It  would  be  useless  to  weary  the  reader  with  more  observations  to 
prove  a  self-evident  fact :  for,  though  such  is  the  depravity  of  human 
nature,  that  our  self-love  induces  us  to  prefer  our  own  productions  to 
those  of  another ;  and  the  taste  of  some  men  is  so  vitiated  that  they 
are  disposed  to  disregard,  and  consider  with  indiflference,  whatever  is 
not  produced  by  human  industry  and  human  ingenuity ;  few  would 
be  found  so  hardy  as  to  expose  their  folly ,  and  evince  their  total  des- 
titution of  feeling,  by  asserting  the  puny  efforts  of  art  to  be  superior 
to  the  rolling  of  the  billows,  the  cloud-capt  mountains,  and  the  smil- 
ing verdure  of  the  valleys,  together  with  all  those  stupendous  and 
beautiful  works  that  the  ever-varying  face  of  nature  continually  pre- 
sents, the  study  of  which  yields  delight  and  joy  ineffable.  Whilst  it 
expands  the  mind,  it  renders  the  heart  susceptible  of  all  those  feelings 
which  raise  the  dignity  of  human  nature,  and  advance  it  nearer  to 
that  Being  who  is  the  Source  of  all  mercy  and  goodness  ;  whom  the 
more  we  contemplate  the  more  we  desire  to  imitate ;  and  the  more 
we  imitate  the  more  fitted  we  become  for  the  blessed  realms  of  peace, 
and  the  practice  of  every  virtue. 


JUNE  II. 

LEAVES  OF  TREES 

Leaves,  the  ornament  of  trees,  are  one  of  the  chief  beauties  of  na- 
ture. Our  impatience  to  see  them  bud  in  the  spring,  and  our  joy 
when  they  appear,  sufficiently  declare  how  much  we  consider  them 
the  pride  of  our  gardens,  fields,  and  woods.  What  a  grateful  shade 
they  form  in  the  hot  days  of  summer,  when,  retreating  from  the  fer- 
vent rays  of  the  sun,  we  repose  on  the  bank  of  some  clear  stream  be- 
neath the  overhanging  trees  !  Yet  this  is  the  least  of  the  advantages 
which  the  leaves  of  trees  afford.  We  have  only  to  consider  their 
wonderful  structure,  to  be  convinced  that  they  are  formed  to  answer 
much  more  important  purposes.  Each  leaf  has  certain  vessels,  which, 
being  closely  compressed  at  the  extremity  of  the  stalk,  extend  them- 
selves like  ribs  on  the  interior  part  of  the  leaf,  and  ramify  in  various 
directions ;  and  every  leaf  contains  also  an  astonishing  number  of 
pores.  In  one  species  of  box,  called  Palma  Cereris,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  thousand  pores  have  been  enumerated  on  one  side  of  the 
leaf.  In  the  open  air  the  leaves  turn  their  upper  surface  towards  the 
sky ;  and  the  under  towards  the  earth,  or  the  interior  part  of  the 
plant.    To  what  purpose  could  this  particular  arrangement  conduce, 


194 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


if  leaves  had  no  other  use  than  that  of  ornamenting  trees,  and  afford- 
ing an  agreeable  shade  1  Surely  the  Creator  had  something  more 
important  in  view. 

Leaves  are  instrumental  to  the  nutrition  of  plants,  by  imbibing 
through  their  pores  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  which  they  com- 
municate to  the  whole  plant.  How  admirable  is  the  wisdom  of  their 
organization  !  By  its  means,  plants  in  dry  seasons  do  not  run  the 
hazard  of  being  deprived  of  moisture  ;  they  receive  a  plentiful  supply 
of  refreshing  dew,  which,  falling  upon  the  upper  leaves,  drops  from 
them  upon  the  lower  ones,  so  that  all  receive  a  portion,  and  none  of 
the  invigorating  juice  is  lost.  It  appears  from  various  experiments, 
that  plants  perspire  to  a  considerable  amount,  and  the  leaves  have 
been  ascertained  to  be  the  chief  organs  of  this  function.  They  also 
contribute  to  introduce  into  the  interior  of  the  plant  the  air  of  which 
it  is  in  want,  as  well  as  to  extricate  that  which  it  has  used  ;  and  they 
tend  to  the  preservation  of  the  buds  which  are  to  bloom  the  following 
year ;  hence  many  trees,  when  stripped  of  their  leaves,  wither  and 
die.  This  frequently  happens  to  the  mulberry-tree,  whose  leaves  are 
taken  to  feed  silk-worms  ;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  the  grapes  never 
arrive  at  maturity,  when  the  vine  has  been  stripped  of  its  leaves  in 
summer. 

We  may  make  another  remark  upon  this  subject,  which  throws 
some  light  on  the  manner  in  which  plants  acquire  their  gradual 
growth.  The  interior  surface  of  leaves,  which  is  turned  towards  the 
earth,  is  always  of  a  paler  colour  and  less  shining  appearance,  and  is 
more  rough  and  spongy  than  the  upper  surface.  This  peculiarity 
enables  it  more  eflectually  to  imbibe  the  dew  which  exhales  from  the 
earth,  and  to  distribute  it  with  more  facility  and  abundance  to  the 
whole  plant.  The  leaves  turn  to  that  part  whence  they  receive  the 
most  nourishment ;  hence  we  observe  the  leaves  of  certain  plants 
hang  very  low.  The  leaves  of  trees  which  grow  on  a  steep  moun- 
tain take  a  perpendicular  direction,  by  which  they  are  able  to  acquire 
the  necessary  degree  of  humidity. 

We  have  here  fresh  cause  to  admire  the  supreme  wisdom  of  God, 
and  we  may  henceforth  consider  the  leaves  of  trees  in  another  point 
of  view.  When  we  were  ignorant  of  their  structure,  and  of  the  im- 
portant ends  that  they  answered,  it  was  not  extraordinary  that  we 
saw  them  with  indifference.  But  now  that  we  know  each  leaf  dis- 
plays evident  marks  of  Divine  Power,  and  is  an  organ  of  fertility,  it 
will  be  impossible  to  view  them  again  with  inattention  or  disregard ; 
and  whenever  we  see  them  we  shall  acknowledge  that  every  thing, 
even  the  least  object  of  nature,  has  been  arranged  by  the  wisdom  of 
the  Creator.* 

*  From  the  experiments  of  certain  chemists  it  appears,  that,  during  the  day,  the  leaves 
of  plants  absorb  carbonic  acid  gas,  which  is  necessary  for  the  nutrition  and  growth  of 
plants,  and  they  exhale  moisture  Vnd  oxygen  gas  ;  it  is  farther  proved  by  Senebier,  that 
the  oxygen  gas  emitted  by  the  leaves  of  plants  depends  on  the  presence  of  carbonic  acid 
gas,  which  the  leaves  first  absorb  and  afterwards  decompose,  and  then  give  out  the  oxy- 
gen while  they  retain  the  carbon  ;  these  operations  require  the  influence  of  light,  which 
abo  is  essential  to  the  green  colour  of  plants,  for  when  they  vegetate  in  the  dark  they 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


19Ö 


JUNE  in. 

VIVIFYING  POWER  OF  THE  SUN. 

When  first  the  sun  awakens  the  morn,  joy  and  serenity  are  diffused 
over  the  soul.  The  heat  and  briUiancy  of  the  great  luminary  of  day 
communicate  to  man  the  cheerfulness  and  activity  by  v/hich  he  is 
enabled  to  fulfil  the  various  duties  of  his  vocation,  and  enjoy  the  en- 
dearments of  social  life.  The  indolence  and  mental  depression  which 
often  during  the  winter  rendered  us  incapable  of  action,  are  now  dis- 
sipated ;  we  feel  more  pleasure  in  our  existence,  and  perform  our 
duties  with  greater  ease  and  comfort.  How  could  it  be  otherwise, 
when  we  witness  the  universal  joy  that  the  sun  communicates  to  the 
world,  and  when  we  see  every  thing  around  us  affected  by  his  all- 
vivifying  rays  1  He  animates  every  creature,  and  rejoices  them  by 
his  genial  influence ;  millions  of  brilliant  insects  awaken  and  sport 
in  his  rays  ;  the  birds  tune  their  music  to  his  praises,  and  every  thing 
which  breathes  rejoices  at  his  appearance.  iEvery  where  the  joyful 
effects  of  his  influence  are  felt :  he  causes  the  sap  to  rise  in  trees, 
plants,  and  vegetables  ;  he  unfolds  the  young  leaves,  and  gives  to  the 
flowers  their  sweet  charms ;  he  forms  the  fruits,  gives  them  their 
beautiful  hue,  and  hastens  their  maturity.  He  diffuses  hght  and  life 
throughout  the  creation,  and  without  him  all  nature  would  languish 
and  die. 

The  influence  of  the  sun  is  not  only  manifest  upon  the  surface  of 
the  globe  ;  it  reaches  the  depths  of  caverns,  penetrates  mountains,  is 
felt  within  the  ocean,  and  produces  various  and  important  changes  on 
animals,  plants,  and  minerals,  whether  above  or  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  earth. 

When  we  consider  these  salutary  effects  of  the  sun,  it  is  natural  to 
reflect  upon  the  miserable  state  in  which  we  should  be  if  deprived  of 
his  light  and  heat.  Without  him  our  earth  would  be  a  sterile  and  life- 
less mass,  void  of  order  or  beauty  :  the  trees  could  not  unfold  their 
leaves,  nor  the  plants  their  flowers  ;  the  meadows  would  languish 
w^ithout  verdure,  and  the  fields  without  harvests  ;  and  all  nature 
would  present  one  wild  aspect  of  sterile  deformity.  Such  was  the 
state  of  the  moral  world  before  the  vivifying  power  of  Christ  diffused 
life  and  consolation  over  the  hearts  of  men,  and,  by  the  purity  and 
force  of  his  light,  dispelled  the  gloom  of  ignorance,  and  the  shade  of 
mental  darkness,  that  held  in  bondage  the  soul. 

The  sun's  vivifying  rays  emanating  from  him  in  all  directions,  may 
be  considered  as  an  emblem  of  the  happy  influence  of  a  truly  good 
man,  who  scatters  joy  and  blessings  on  all  around  him.  He  strength- 
are  entirely  white.  During  the  night,  leaves  perform  quite  opposite  functions  ;  for  they 
then  absorb  moisture  and  oxygen  gas,  and  emit  carbonic  acid  gas.  Another  very  im- 
portant function  of  leaves,  is  the  power  they  have  of  converting  the  sap  into  a  different 
fluid  ;  it  is  completely  ascertained,  that  the  sap  ascends  to  the  leaves,  where  it  undergoes 
certain  changes,  and  there  becomes  a  fluid,  which  is  instrumental  in  forming  the  different 
parts  of  plants,  as  the  chyle  converted  into  blood  is  in  forming  those  of  animals. — E. 


196  STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 

eneth  the  weak,  cheereth  the  afflicted,  instmcteth  the  ignorant,  and 
reheveth  the  poor.  Such  a  being  is  a  noble  example  of  what  virtue 
and  human  nature  is  capable ;  and  may  we  each,  according  to  our 
station  and  degree,  endeavour  to  imitate  such  a  character  with  full 
purpose  of  heart :  it  is  in  the  power  of  each  individual  to  become  bet- 
ter ;  and  the  longer  we  refrain  from  iniquity,  the  more  easy  is  the  path 
to  virtue.  Lret  us  each  labour  for  our  mutual  improvement,  and  im- 
part to  those  who  are  in  want  a  portion  of  the  blessings  which  we  are 
favoured  to  receive  :  our  days  will  then  glide  on  imperceptibly  ;  our 
hearts,  estranged  from  every  sordid  care  and  base  passion,  will  be  the 
seat  of  love,  of  peace,  and  of  joyful  harmony ;  and  when  our  last 
hour  shall  arrive,  we  shall  calmly  repose  in  humble  confidence  on  the 
bosom  of  our  God,  amid  the  prayers  and  blessings  of  thousands  of  our 
fellpw-creatures. 


JUNE  IV. 

DESIRES  OF  THE  SOUL  UNLIMITED. 

Let  us  employ  a  few  moments  in  reflecting  on  our  own  particular 
Slate  ;  and  certainly  the  consideration  of  our  immortal  soul  has  the 
first  claim  to  our  attention,  as  more  nearly  concerning  us  than  any 
thing  this  world  can  afford.  Whatever  satisfaction  we  may  feel  in 
contemplating  the  objects  of  the  material  world,  is  infinitely  short  of 
that  which  we  derive  from  meditating  upon  the  nature  and  faculties 
of  the  soul.  The  contemplation  of  external  objects  which  the  tra- 
veller meets  with  on  his  way  is  doubtless  highly  pleasing,  because  he 
requires  recreation  and  amusements  in  his  pilgrimage :  but  by  the 
contemplation  of  spiritual  objects  we  are  led  to  the  consideration  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  the  endless  feHcity  of  the  righteous 
in  the  world  to  come.  Let  us  often  reflect  upon  the  desires  which  are 
impressed  on  our  souls.  Experience  convinces  us  that  our  desire  for 
knowledge  can  never  be  satisfied ;  as  soon  as  we  have  made  one  dis- 
covery, we  thirst  after  more  information,  and,  in  proportion  as  our 
ignorance  diminishes,  we  wish  for  more  knowledge.  Our  desires  are 
insatiate,  and  when  we  at  length  enjoy  what  we  most  ardently  longed 
for,  new  wishes  spring  up,  and  the  desire  of  receiving  additional  bless- 
ings accompanies  us  from  infancy  to  the  grave. 

From  all  this  we  may  infer,  that,  as  no  external  object  gratifies  us 
long,  as  our  desires  never  end  with  enjoyment,  and  nothing  present 
is  entirely  satisfactory,  but  that  we  are  continually  looking  for  future 
blessings  without  ever  being  fully  gratified,  there  is  a  state  of  exist- 
ence beyond  the  present,  the  desire  of  which  is  so  strongly  implanted 
in  our  souls,  that  nothing  short  of  it  completely  satisfies  us.  Can 
any  one  suppose  that  man  should  be  the  only  creature  upon  the  earth 
which  possessed  a  faculty,  without  the  power  of  obtaining  the  end 
for  which  that  faculty  was  given  him  ?  or  that  man  alone  should 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


197 


possess  an  instinct  whose  instigations  he  could  not  satisfy  ?  This, 
indeed,  would  render  his  condition  more  pitiable  than  that  of  the 
brutes  ;  for  when  an  animal  of  that  description  is  hungry  or  thirsty, 
it  finds  aliment  to  supply  its  wants :  we  sec  the  silk-worm  spin  its 
cone,  and  shut  itself  up  within  it  till  it  comes  forth  a  new  creature  ; 
and  we  see  birds  lay  eggs  ;  but  would  these  things  happen  if  it  were 
not  desicrned  for  the  preservation  of  their  species'?  If  then  our  exist- 
ence was  limited  to  the  short  span  of  this  present  life,  why  are  im- 
planted in  our  souls  desires  boundless  as  infinitude,  and  inchnations 
which  nothing  earthly  can  gratify  ?  And  why  have  we  faculties 
which  are  ever  grcisping  at  something  beyond  their  reach  1  Surely 
the  great  Author  of  nature  has  never  given  us  such  desires  without 
some  wise  and  noble  end,  much  less  has  he  endowed  us  with  them 
that  they  may  be  our  tormentors. 

Gracious  God  !  my  soul  feels  Thy  sweet  influence,  and  loves  Thee 
above  all  other  things..  It  aspires  to  imitate  thy  perfection,  and  unite 
itself  unto  Thee  for  ever  ;  it  can  soar  above  all  terrestrial  objects,  and 
continue  its  lofty  flight  till  it  reaches  Thy  throne.  And  can  this 
soul,  this  principle  of  power  and  intelligence,  the  emanation  of  the 
Deity,  ever  be  annihilated  ?  Were  that  the  case,  vain  would  be  our 
knowledge,  and  fruitless  our  love  of  God.  For  the  utmost  stretch  of 
human  attainment  is  very  little ;  the  highest  degree  of  perfection 
which  man  can  possibly  acquire  is  very  inferior,  and  infinitely  short  of 
what  he  conceives.  Doubtless,  then,  all  the  excellence  which  we 
are  permitted  to  possess  upon  the  earth,  and  all  the  intelligence  which 
we  are  enabled  to  attain,  are  but  the  forerunners  of  that  endless  feli- 
city, the  hope  of  which  cheers  every  heart. 

From  these  considerations  we  may  learn  something  of  our  future 
destination.  We  now  see  that  the  desire  of  increasing  in  wisdom 
and  virtue,  and  the  wish  of  always  approximating  nearer  to  God, 
the  Source  of  all  perfection,  are  not  accidental,  or  given  us  in  vain ; 
we  now  know,  that  the  happiness  which  our  imagination  could  anti- 
cipate but  not  enjoy  in  this  state  of  being,  will  be  the  endless  reward 
of  the  just ;  and  we  are  now  convinced,  that  those  favoured  moments 
in  which  the  love  of  God  warmed  our  hearts,  when  all  the  blessings 
of  heaven  opened  before  our  view,  and  when  we  so  ardently  longed 
after  perfection,  w^ere  not  useless  nor  without  efficacy.  We  are  con- 
tinually advancing  towards  perfection  ;  and  the  more  earnest  and 
unremitting  are  our  endeavours,  the  nearer  shall  we  attain  to  it ;  no 
faculties  of  the  soul  are  useless,  and  the  more  they  are  exercised  the 
greater  will  be  their  powers.  Let  us  then  rejoice  in  our  immortality, 
and  ascend  from  what  is  visible  to  what  is  invisible.  Let  us  in  the 
midst  of  pleasure,  when  surrounded  with  all  that  this  world  can 
afford,  when  animated  by  hope,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  every  bless- 
ing which  the  most  favoured  children  of  humanity  are  permitted  to 
receive,  lift  up  our  souls  to  heaven,  and  reflect  upon  the  purity  of  God, 
that  we  may  be  preserved  from  the  allurements  of  sense,  and  not  de- 
base our  faculties  by  pursuits  beneath  the  dignity  of  human  nature, 
and  incompatible  with  the  sacred  duties  of  Christianity. 

17* 


198 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JUNE  V. 

UTILITY   OF  RIVERS. 

WTieri  we  calculate  the  space  which  our  rivers  occupy,  we  find  that 
it  takes  up  a  considerable  part  of  the  earth.  Let  those  who  are  dis- 
contented with' this  arrangement,  and  imagine  that  it  would  be  more 
beneficial  if  the  rivers  had  been  fewer  and  the  land  more  abundant, 
consider  with  what  wisdom  and  beautiful  proportion  the  Creator  has 
formed  the  globe,  and  they  will  then  doubtless  be  ready  to  acknow- 
ledge that  the  rivers  have  not  been  distributed  upon  the  earth  without 
the  wisest  views,  and  an  evident  utility  to  man,  and  every  living 
creature. 

First,  we  may  observe,  that  river-water  supplies  a  very  wholesome 
beverage.  Spring  or  pump  water,  when  it  has  remained  long  under 
the  earth  without  agitation,  detaches  and  dissolves,  or  holds  suspend- 
ed, particles  of  matter  which  may  be  injurious  to  our  system  ;  but 
river-water,  which  is  continually  evaporating,  and  constantly  under- 
going agitation,  refines  itself  from  all  impurities,  and  becomes  the 
most  salubrious  drink  for  men  and  beasts. 

This  is  far  from  being  the  only  use  of  rivers ;  do  we  not  owe  to 
them  the  neatness,  salubrity,  and  comfort  of  our  dwellings,  as  well 
as  the  fertility  of  our  fields  1  Our  habitations  are  always  unhealthy 
when  surrounded  by  marshes  and  stagnant  waters,  or  when  a  drought 
is  produced  in  consequence  of  the  want  of  water.  The  smallest 
river  is  refreshing,  and  cools  the  air  ;  whilst  the  earth  is  rendered  more 
fertile.  What  an  astonishing  difference  is  observed  between  a  coun- 
try watered  by  various  streams,  and  one  to  which  nature  has  denied 
this  blessing  !  The  one  is  dry,  barren,  and  desert ;  the  other  flourishes 
like  a  garden,  where  woods,  valleys,  meadows,  and  fields,  present 
every  variety  of  beauty.  A  river  meandering  through  a  country, 
carries  with  it  refreshment,  abundance,  and  prosperity  ;  and  not  only 
irrigates  the  roots  of  plants,  but  fertilizes  the  earth  by  frequent  inun- 
dations and  continual  evaporation. 

Surely  then  no  one  can  be  so  inattentive  and  ungrateful  as  not  to 
acknowledge  the  advantage  of  rivers,  seeing  that  they  are  the  source 
of  such  numerous  blessings.  If,  by  means  of  rivers,  merchandise 
could  not  be  floated  through  every  part  of  a  kingdom,  commerce  would 
be  impeded  ;  without  their  assistance  the  machinery  of  numerous 
manufactories  would  be  stopped,  agriculture  would  suffer,  and  the 
tables  of  the  luxurious  would  be  deprived  of  many  of  their  delicacies. 
The  only  inconvenience  of  rivers  is  their  being  sometimes  subject  to 
iimndations,  which  occasion  very  considerable  damage  :  but  this,  com- 
pared with  their  many  advantages,  is  trifling ;  inundations  do  not 
happen  very  often  ;  they  seldom  extend  far  ;  and  whatever  temporary 
losses  they  may  occasion,  they  amply  indemnify  by  enriching  and 
fertilizing  the  land.  Thus  the  consideration  of  rivers  will  convince 
the  attentive  observer,  that  the  divine  goodness  is  manifested  through 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


199 


all  nature,  in  the  ocean,  and  in  the  rivers  of  water,  equally  as  upon 
the  solid  earth.  We  find  every  thing  conduces  to  our  happiness  and 
advantage ;  and  if  we  were  deprived  of  any  one  of  the  blessings  we 
now  enjoy,  part  of  our  comfort  and  felicity  would  be  taken  away. 


JUNE  VI. 

DIVERSITY  OF  FLOWERS. 

When  we  consider  the  prodigious  number  of  flowers  produced  in 
the  spring,  summer,  and  autumn,  we  cannot  but  be  astonished ;  and 
their  variety  is  not  less  remarkable  :  to  produce  so  great  a  number 
required  the  agency  of  a  divine  power,  and  to  effect  such  a  diversity 
demanded  that  power  to  be  exercised  with  a  wisdom  equally  admi- 
rable. If  they  bore  an  exact  resemblance  to  each  other  in  their 
structure,  form,  dimension,  and  colours,  we  should  be  wearied  with 
their  uniform  sameness  ;  if  the  summer  produced  no  other  plants  and 
flowers  than  such  as  we  had  already  enjoyed  in  the  spring,  we  should 
soon  be  tired  of  viewing  them,  and  we  should  neglect  their  culture. 

It  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  a  proof  of  the  divine  goodness, 
that  the  productions  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  are  so  pleasingly 
diversified,  and  that  such  a  variety  of  new  charms  is  continually 
added  to  their  perfections.  This  diversity  not  only  takes  in  the  dif- 
ferent classes  and  genera  of  plants,  but  may  be  observed  in  each  indi- 
vidual :  thus,  the  genus  of  the  carnation  differs  in  appearance  from 
that  of  the  rose,  the  rose  from  the  tulip,  and  the  tulip  from  the  auri- 
cula;  and  each  individual  rose,  tulip,  or  carnation,  has  its  peculiar 
character  displayed  in  its  structure,  size,  or  beauty — we  can  scarcely 
select  two  flowers  that  are  precisely  similar  in  every  respect,  each  one 
having  peculiar  beauties,  though  both  are  individuals  of  the  same 
plant. 

If  we  examine  a  flower-bed,  we  shall  find  some  of  the  flowers  of 
an  extraordinary  height,  towering  above  the  rest  ;  others  are  of  a 
middling  size ;  and  some  just  raise  their  heads  above  the  earth. 
Some  have  the  richest  and  most  brilliant  colours ;  others  are  more 
simple  and  plain  :  some  perfume  the  air  with  the  most  exquisite 
fragrance  ;  whilst  others  only  please  by  the  beauty  of  their  tints  or 
the  delicacy  of  their  form.  The  variations  in  flowers  are  not  less  re- 
markable in  the  different  seasons  of  the  year  :  thus,  in  spring,  when 
men  leave  the  close  confinement  of  towns  to  enjoy  the  charms  of  the 
country,  the  blossoms  are  seen  in  full  bloom  and  beauty  .;  as  summer 
advances  thousands  of  flow^ers  offer  themselves  to  the  admiring  spec- 
tator, and  one  species  succeeds  another  in  a  regular  and  defined  order. 
When  at  length  winter  arrives,  it  brings  with  it  other  plants  which, 
though  they  may  not  be  so  pleasing  to  the  eye,  are  not  the  less  useful. 
Among  vegetables  there  is  still  more  variety.  What  a  diversity, 
and  how  many  links  are  observed,  between  the  weeds  which  grow 


200 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


among  stones,  and  the  blade  of  corn  !  In  plants  whose  nature  it  is 
to  creep,  what  a  difference  between  the  ivy,  which  clings  to  the 
mouldering  monuments  of  magnificence,  and  the  succulent  vine, 
whose  grapes  refresh  us  as  fruit,  and  invigorate  us  as  a  beverage ! 

Thus  every  thing  is  planted  in  wisdom  and  produced  in  perfection  ; 
every  where  the  useful  blends  with  the  agreeable,  and  the  infinite 
goodness  of  God  is  manifested  throughout  the  creation. 


JUNE  VII. 

USE  OF  VENOMOUS  ANIMALS  AND  PLANTS. 

Every  production  of  the  earth,  considered  separately,  is  good  and 
wholesome  :  and  if  any  thing  is  found  to  be  noxious,  it  is  because 
we  do  not  make  a  proper  use  of  it.  Hence  it  is,  that  the  food  which 
preserves  the  life  of  one  animal,  occasions  the  death  of  another  ;  and 
the  same  plant  which  in  certain  circumstances  is  regarded  as  poison- 
ous, in  others  is  highly  useful  and  salutary.  Hemlock,  for  example, 
was  formerly  considered  a  deadly  poison  ;  but  it  is  now  employed  in 
many  cases  as  a  medicine  with  considerable  success,  and  without 
producing  any  bad  consequences.  The  number  and  variety  of  vege- 
tables growing  upon  the  earth  is  prodigious  ;  we  must  not,  however, 
imagine  they  were  all  created  for  the  use  of  man  ;  «ome  are  designed 
for  beasts,  ^onie  to  exhale  grateful  odours,  and  others  are  useful  in 
many  of  the  diseases  to  which  the  animal  economy  is  subjected. 

The  same  thing  holds  good  with  regard  to  many  living  creatures, 
which,  though  very  dangerous  toman,  are  useful  to  other  animals,  as 
affording  food  or  medicaments.  Many  birds  feed  upon  insects  which 
are  considered  as  noxious  :  domestic  fowls  are  fond  of  spiders ;  pea- 
cocks and  storks  will  feed  upon  serpents.  Some  of  the  most  effica- 
cious medicines  are  composed  of  the  most  poisonous  herbs.  The 
number  of  plants  and  animals  of  a  poisonous  or  venomous  nature  is 
very  inconsiderable,  compared  with  those  which  are  evidently  useful 
and  beneficial ;  and  both  men  and  animals  have  a  natural  repug- 
nance and  aversion  for  every  thing  which  is  hurtful  or  prejudicial  to 
their  nature.  Mischievous  animals  have  a  certain  dread  of  man, 
which  prevents  their  attacking  him  unless  they  are  excited  to  it  by 
provocation  or  necessity  ;  and  the  most  hurtful  species  of  animals 
have  generally  some  distinguishing  characteristics  by  which  their 
dangerous  properties  may  be  known  and  guarded  against.  The  rat- 
tle-snake, the  most  dangerous  of  serpents,  makes  known  his  approach 
by  the  rattling  noise  of  his  tail.  The  crocodile  is  so  clumsy  in  his 
motions,  and  turns  round  with  so  much  difficulty,  that  it  is  easy  to 
escape  from  him.  Divine  goodness,  moreover,  has  so  ordered,  that 
the  most  dangerous  and  venomous  animals  furnish  the  antidote  for 
their  own  poison  :  thus,  the  oil  procured  from  a  scorpion  is  an  infalli- 
ble remedy  against  its  sting  ;  a  bee,  bruised  and  rubbed  on  the  part  it 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


201 


has  stung",  assuages  the  pain  ;  and  the  fat  of  vipers  is  an  excellent 
remedy  for  their  bite. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  urged  that  it  would  be  better  if  no  plant  or  animal 
had  been  created  with  the  power  of  injuring  living  creatures.  Such 
a  suggestion  can  arise  only  from  ignorance ;  for,  if  the  Author  of 
nature  has  formed  creatures  with  the  power  of  injuring  one  another, 
it  is  for  the  wisest  purposes,  and  from  such  an  arrangement  many  ad- 
vantages result.  Several  creatures  which  appear  to  be  noxious,  are 
only  so  in  certain  respects  ;  their  poison,  and  the  organs  which  enable 
them  to  inflict  wounds,  are  absolutely  necessary.  One  illustration  of 
this  will  be  sufficient  for  our  present  purpose  ;  the  bee  often  causes 
very  great  pain  by  his  sting,  but  deprive  him  of  that,  and  he  is  use- 
less ;  and  so  it  is  throughout  the  unlimited  field  of  nature,  that  which 
appears  to  be  noxious  is  indispensably  useful.  Why  then  has  man 
the  presumption  to  determine  upon  what  is  useful  or  prejudicial  in 
nature  1  or  who  can  assert  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  wisdom  of  God 
that  we  should  suffer  pain]  Do  not  the  most  unpleasant  things  often 
procure  us  the  greatest  advantages?  In  general  it  will  be  found  that 
natural  things  are  only  accidentally  hurtful ;  and  if  we  ever  receive 
any  injury  from  them,  we  may  almost  always  attribute  it  to  our  own 
imprudence  and  neglect. 


JUNE  VIII. 

ODOUR  OF  FLOWERS. 

A  profusion  of  beautiful  objects  every  where  surrounds  us ;  every 
thing  that  we  see  and  hear,  all  the  sensations  of  smell  and  taste, 
contribute  to  our  delights  and  multiply  our  gratifications.  All  nature 
seems  to  combine  in  these  happy  days  to  fill  our  souls  with  rapture, 
and  raise  our  hearts  to  the  Deity,  from  whom  flows  every  joy,  and  of 
whose  goodness  every  flower  is  a  consoling  proof. 

At  present,  let  us  confine  our  attention  to  the  pleasure  we  derive 
from  the  agreeable  and  varied  fragrance  of  flowers.  The  goodness 
of  God  would  have  been  amply  displayed  in  the  creation  of  flowers 
alone,  which  so  much  delight  by  their  beautiful  variety  ;  but  he  has 
done  more,  he  has  given  to  the  fairest  of  nature's  productions  the 
most  grateful  fragrance.  The  scents  of  flowers  are  not  less  exquisite 
and  various  than  their  different  shades  of  colouring  ;  and  though  it  is 
not  easy  to  determine  in  what  this  difference  of  odour  consists,  it  is 
very  perceptible  upon  passing  from  one  flower  to  another.  It  may  be 
also  observed,  that  their  smell  is  neither  potent  enough  to  aflfect  the 
head,  nor  so  weak  as  to  prevent  its  pleasing  influence.  The  particles 
which  are  continually  exhahng  from  flowers  are  so  light  and  subtile, 
that  they  are  easily  wafted  to  a  great  distance  :  the  perfume  which 
arises  from  a  single  grain  of  amber  will  scent  a  very  large  room  ;  and 


202 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  smell  of  ihe  rosemary  growing  in  Provence  is  perceptible  at  sea  at 
the  distance  of  twenty  miles. 

The  cause  of  these  exhalations  so  readily  affecting  the  organs  of 
smell  must  be  attributed  to  the  structure  of  the  nose,  which  is  com- 
posed of  a  cavity  formed  by  bones  and  cartilages,  and  is  separated 
into  two  cavities  called  nostrils,  by  a  partition,  the  upper  part  of  which 
is  bony,  the  lower  cartilaginous  ;  the  superior  part  of  this  cavity  com- 
municates with  the  mouth,  and  it  is  lined  with  a  membrane  upon 
which  is  a  very  fine  expansion  of  nerves,  proceeding  from  the  brain 
through  the  oscribriformeor  sieve-like  bone,  so  called  from  its  numerous 
perforations.  The  odours  floating  in  the  air  are  readily  received  into 
the  nostrils,  and  impress  the  exouisitely  sensible  membrane  with  the 
sensation  of  smell. 

In  this  structure  we  may  particularly  remark  the  wisdom  of  the 
Creator  displayed  in  the  formation  of  the  bony  plates  which  terminate 
the  upper  part  of  the  nose,  and  have  a  twofold  use  :  they  prevent  in- 
jurious substances  from  entering  the  passages  of  respiration  whilst  we 
sleep,  or  are  incapable  of  guarding  against  them ;  and  they  receive 
the  ramifications  of  the  olfactory  nerves,  numerous  branches  and  fila- 
ments of  which  are  dispersed  over  these  lamina,  and  thus  receive  the 
odoriferous  particles  which  enter  the  nose  along  with  the  air.  Let 
us  then  rejoice  and  be  thankful  for  this  most  gracious  gift  of  our  hea- 
venly Father ;  a  gift  which  procures  us  the  most  delightful  sensa- 
tions, and  without  which  nature  would  lose  half  her  charms.  In  our 
walks  through  the  garden,  whilst  we  are  gratified  with  the  fragrance 
of  a  thousand  flowers,  let  us  lift  up  our  hearts  in  gratitude  to  that 
Being  who  has  graciously  bestowed  upon  us  these  sweet  productions 
of  nature. 


JUNE  IX. 

MULTITUDE  OF  ANIMALS. 

Naturalists  have  calculated  that  the  number  of  animals  upon  our 
globe  amounts  to  about  four  hundred  thousand  species.  It  is  sup- 
posed, that  in  the  known  parts  of  the  earth  there  are  more  than  four 
hundred  and  fifty  species  of  land  animals  ;  of  birds,  six  hundred  ;  of 
fish  with  scales,  two  thousand ;  of  shell-fish,  three  thousand  ;  and  of 
insects  distinguishable  by  the  naked  eye,  upwards  of  twenty  thousand 
species ;  besides  those  which  belong  to  different  kinds  of  animals, 
amounting  to  near  one  hundred  thousand  species.  And  there  are 
immense  tribes  of  insects  entirely  unknown  to  us,  the  number  of 
which  may  be  estimated  at  two  hundred  thousand.  We  must  also 
take  account  of  those  which  live  upon  plants  ;  and  eighteen  thousand 
varieties  of  plants  having  already  been  described,  if  we  only  allow 
each  to  contain  four  species  of  insects,  the  number  of  these  will 
amount  to  seventy-two  thousand. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


203 


This  estimate  of  the  nuiiiber  of  animals  living  on  our  ^lobe,  will 
doubtless  appear  prodigious  ;  but  if  we  beHeve  with  some  naturahsts 
that  the  whole  kingdom  of  nature  is  every  where  animated,  and  filled 
with  living  beings,  we  shall  not  find  it  too  great.  Some  physicians 
have  maintained  that  the  diseases  which  are  accompanied  with  erup- 
tions and  pustules,  as  well  as  some  sj^ecies  of  fever,  are  occasioned  by 
little  insects  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  atmosphere  is  sometimes 
peopled  with  insects,  though  their  extreme  minuteness  renders  it  im- 
possible to  detect  their  presence.  If  we  examine  any  flower,  as  a  rose 
or  a  daisy,  we  shall  discover  a  multitude  of  insects,  and  the  smallest 
portion  of  the  earth  teems  with  life ;  animals  are  even  contained  in 
each  other.  The  air,  the  juices  of  plants  and  animals,  putrid  sub- 
stances, excrementitious  matter,  smoke,  dry  wood,  and  even  the  hard- 
est stones,  serve  as  habitations  for  living  creatures. 

The  sea  also  seems  to  be  an  element  composed  of  animals.  The 
light  which  is  sometimes  observed  upon  it  in  a  summer  night,  is  ow- 
ing to  a  multitude  of  small  luminous  worms,  the  particles  of  which, 
detached  from  the  body  and  become  putrid,  float  on  the  water,  and 
continue  to  shine  as  when  the  animal  was  alive.  Innumerable  ani- 
malculae  sport  in  the  rays  of  the  sun  ;  and  all  these  little  beings  are 
infinitely  diversified  in  their  figure,  organs,  and  motions.  Such  is  the 
number  and  variety  of  the  beings  which  inhabit  this  globe.  Let  us 
attempt  to  name  all  these  animals,  to  enumerate  only  the  individuals 
of  a  single  species  ;  or  endeavour  to  calculate  the  number  of  her- 
rings, flies,  worms,  birds,  &c.  and  we  shall  find  ourselves  utterly 
unable  to  perform  what  it  would  be  impossible  to  express  by  numbers. 

Here  we  have  abundant  cause  to  admire  the  infinite  power  of  the 
Creator,  who  alone  has  produced  all  these  creatures,  and  who  still 
continues  to  support  and  to  preserve  them.  Consider  the  food  these 
various  tribes  of  animals  require  ;  if  they  only  lived  by  destroying 
one  another,  nature  would  every  where  present  scenes  of  cruelt3^and 
slaughter.  But  fortunately,  the  number  of  carnivorous  animals  is 
few,  and  these  are  useful  in  devouring  the  carcasses  that,  lying  about 
and  becoming  putrid,  would  infect  the  air.  The  vegetable  kingdom, 
however,  is  more  properly  designed  for  the  nourishment  of  animals ; 
and  almost  every  species  has  some  particular  kind  of  plant  which  it 
makes  choice  of :  and  that  every  species  of  animals  may  have  food 
proportionate  to  their  nature,  they  are  distributed  in  diflferent  coun- 
tries of  the  earth.  And  how  beautiful  is  the  arrangement  of  nature ! 
One  tree  is  larger  than  many  thousand  plants,  and  yet  it  occupies 
only  the  space  of  a  few  feet  in  the  earth  ;  and  many  animals,  birds, 
and  insects,  find  in  it  their  abode  and  nutriment. 

How  merciful  are  the  cares  of  Providence  for  animals,  in  surround- 
ing them  with  a  fluid  suited  to  their  respective  natures  !  And  will 
the  atheist  dare  to  say  that  there  is  no  God  !  Senseless  man  !  *  Go 
and  ask  of  the  beasts,  and  they  will  teach  thee  ;  of  the  fowls  of  the 
air,  and  they  will  tell  thee:  speak  to  the  reptiles  of  the  earth,  and 
they  will  inform  thee  ;  unto  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  and  they  will  de- 
clare unto  thee  the  ways  of  the  everlasting  God.    Who  knoweth  not 


204 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


in  all  these  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  hath  wrought  this  ?  In  whose 
hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living  thing,  and  the  breath  of  all  man- 
kind.' 


JUNE  X. 

IMMENSITY  OF  THE  FIRMAMENT. 

Approach,  O  man  !  and  contemplate  the  firmament :  regard  those 
vast  bodies  which  nightly  illumine  the  heavens ;  endeavour  to  count 
them,  and  thy  sight  will  be  confused,  whilst  thine  eyes  survey  the 
infinite  multitude  of  stars.  Call  to  thy  assistance  the  powers  of  the 
telescope,  and  millions  of  new  worlds  will  present  themselves  to  thy 
view.  Continue  thy  observations,  and  attempt  to  number  these  lumi- 
naries ;  thy  ideas  will  be  confounded,  and  thou  wilt  be  convinced  that 
no  known  numbers  can  express  the  multitude  of  all  the  stars  which 
bespangle  the  firmament. 

It  is  true,  that  at  a  very  early  period  men  began  to  turn  their  atten- 
tion to  the  stars,  and  to  ascertain  their  numbers  ;  but  since  the  inven- 
tion of  telescopes  new  discoveries  have  proved  the  imperfection  of 
former  calculations,  and  shown  the  difiSculty,  if  not  impossibility,  of 
our  gaining  a  certain  knowledge  of  this  important  subject.  To  count 
the  stars  seems  to  be  an  enterprise  as  impracticable  as  that  of  number- 
ing the  grains  of  sand  on  the  sea-shore. 

The  invention  of  telescopes  has  enabled  us  to  obtain  much  more 
information  than  we  otherwise  could  have  done  ;  but  the  most  exact 
observations  made  through  their  means  tend  to  convince  us  that  our 
powers  are  too  limited  to  discover  all  the  heavenly  bodies.  One  of 
the  most  ancient  astronomers  enumerated  only  one  thousand  and 
twenty-six  stars,  and  his  catalogue  was  afterward  increased  to  one 
thousand  and  eighty-eight.  The  number  is  now  considerably  aug- 
mented :  by  means  of  instrvunents,  we  learn  that  the  long  and  lumi- 
nous tract  seen  in  the  heavens,  and  called  the  Milky  Way,  is  composed 
of  innumerable  stars  ;  and  we  also  know  that  where  but  a  single  star 
was  formerly  seen,  by  the  assistance  of  a  telescope  we  now  discover 
many,  and  two  constellations  alone  display  more  stars  than  were  be- 
fore observed  in  the  whole  heavens. 

Such  considerations  as  these  enlarge  our  ideas  of  the  universe. 
And  if  our  admiration  of  the  immensity  of  the  divine  power  be  in- 
creased by  these  discoveries,  how  much  greater  will  it  be,  when  we 
consider  the  magnitude  of  those  stars,  which,  notwithstanding  their 
prodigious  distance,  are  perceptible  by  the  naked  eye.  The  most  ex- 
act and  indubitable  calculations  inform  us,  that  a  cannon-ball,  shot 
off  from  the  nearest  fixed  star,  would  fly  seven  hundred  thousand  years 
before  it  reached  our  globe.* 

*  The  distance  from  us  to  the  nearest  fixed  star  is  computed  at  32,000,000,000,000 
of  miles,  being  farther  than  a  cannon-ball  would  fly  in  seven  milUons  of  years. — Ed. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


205 


Some  of  these  globes,  being  nearer  to  us,  appear  larger  than  the 
rest,  and  are  on  that  account  called  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  ;  the 
next  to  these  are  called  stars  of  the  second  magnitude,  because  being 
at  a  greater  distance,  their  magnitude  appears  less.  The  next  to  them 
in  lustre  are  of  the  third  magnitude,  and  so  on  to  the  sixth,  the 
smallest  visible  to  the  naked  eye. 

Creator  of  heaven,  and  sovereign  Ruler  of  worlds  !  Father  of 
angels  and  of  men  !  how  my  soul  loves  to  stretch  forth  her  pinions, 
and  wino-  her  imaginary  flight  beyond  the  confines  of  mortahty,  unto 
the  regions  of  day  ;  where  for  a  space  forgetting  the  cares  and  vex- 
ations of  an  anxious  existence,  she  contemplates  with  rapture  Thee, 
the  A-Uthor  of  light,  and  wishes  that  her  faculties  were  vast  as  the 
extent  of  heaven,  and  unlimited  as  the  regions  of  space,  that  she 
might  comprehend  Thy  sublimity,  and  raise  her  thoughts  from  those 
innumerable  worlds,  the  oflfspring  of  Thy  power,  unto  Thee,  the 
sanctuary  of  grace  and  the  source  of  glory  !  But  whilst  we  are  tra- 
velling through  life's  uncertain  path,  such  desires  cannot  be  realized  ; 
we  cannot  com  prellend  Infinity  ;  and  these  aspirations  of  a  noble  and 
exalted  soul  are  obliged  to  yield  to  our  imperfect  nature :  but  they 
strongly  evince  the  soul's  ethereal  essence,  and  lead  us  to  expect  the 
joyful  moment  when,  delivered  from  her  present  bondage,  all  her 
faculties  will  expand,  and  she  will  in  one  instant  know  what  the 
united  intellect  of  centuries  could  never  discover. 


JUNE  XI. 

PECULIARITIES  IN  TÖE  VEGETABLE  KINGDOM. 

The  difference  between  animals  and  vegetables  is  so  great,  that  on 
a  superficial  view  we  do  not  perceive  any  resemblance  between  them. 
Some  animals  only  live  in  water  ;  others  on  the  earth,  or  in  the  air  ; 
and  some  are  amphibious,  or  capable  of  living  either  on  land  or  in 
water.  And  this  is  literally  the  case  with  vegetables  :  some  of  them 
only  grow  upon  land,  others  in  the  water  ;  some  can  scarce  bear  any 
moisture  ;  others  either  live  in  earth  or  water  ;  and  some  even  are 
found  that  exist  in  the  air.  There  is  a  tree  in  the  island  of  Japan, 
which,  contrary  to  thie  nature  of  all  other  trees,  to  which  moisture  is 
necessary,  cannot  bear  wet.  As  soon  as  it  is  watered  it  perishes  ;  the 
only  way  to  preserve  it  in  such  a  case,  is  to  cut  it  off  by  the  root, 
which  is  to  be  dried  in  the  sun,  and  afterwards  planted  in  a  dry  and 
sandy  soil.  A  peculiar  species  of  nnishroom,  some  mosses,  and  other 
small  plants,  float  in -the  air  ;  but  wliat  is  still  more  extraordinary,  a 
bunch  of  rosemary,  which,  as  is  the  custom  of  some  countries,  was 
put  in  the  hand  of  a  corpse,  sprouted  out  to  the  right  and  left  so 
vigorously,  that  after  a  lapse  of  some  years  the  grave  being  opened, 
the  face  of  the  defunct  was  overshaded  with  rosemary  leaves. 

The  vegetation  of  the  truffle  is  still  more  singular  :  this  extraordi- 


206 


S'l  TRM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


nary  tiihercle  lins  neither  roots,  stem,  leaves,  flowers,  nor  seeds;  it 
derives  it  nourishment  through  the  pores  of  its  bark.  But  it  may  be 
asked,  how  is  it  produced  1  Why  is  there  commonly  no  kind  of  herb 
in  tlie  places  where  this  species  of  mushroom  grows?  and  why  is  the 
land  there  dry  and  full  of  crevices  ?  These  things  have  never  been 
explained. 

No  plant  so  much  resembles  animals  as  that  species  of  membra- 
neous moss  called  nostoch  :  it  is  an  irregular  substance  of  a  pale 
green  colour,  and  somewhat  transparent ;  it  trembles  upon  the  slight- 
est touch,  and  easily  breaks.  It  can  only  be  seen  after  rain,  and  is 
then  found  in  many  places,  particularly  in  uncultivated  soils  and 
sandy  roads. 

It  exists  in  all  seasons,  even  in  winter  ;  but  is  never  so  abundant  as 
after  rain  in  summer.  The  most  remarkable  circumstance  about  it 
is  its  speedy  growth,  being  formed  almost  instantaneously  ;  for  some- 
times if  we  walk  in  the  garden  in  summer,  not  a  trace  of  it  is  seen ; 
when  a  sudden  shower  of  rain  falling,  if  the  same  place  is  visited  in 
an  hour,  the  walks  are  entirely  covered  with  it.  The  nostoch  was 
long  supposed  to  have  descended  from  the  sky  ;  but  it  is  now  known 
to  be  a  leaf,  which  attracts  and  imbibes  water  with  great  avidity. 
This  leaf,  to  which  no  root  appears  to  belong,  is  in  its  natural  state 
when  impregnated  with  water  ;  but  a  strong  wind  or  great  heat  soon 
dissipating  the  water,  the  leaf  contracts,  and  loses  its  colour  and  trans- 
parency :  hence  it  appears  to  grow  so  suddenly,  and  to  be  so  miracu- 
lously produced  by  a  shower  of  rain ;  for  when  the  rain  falls  upon  it 
in  its  dried  and  imperceptible  state,  it  becomes  reanimated,  and  ap- 
pears a  fresh  production. 

We  might  readily  enlarge  the  list  of  plants  which  bear  a  resem- 
blance to  animals  ;  but  there  are  other  peculiarities  in  vegetables 
which  solicit  our  attention.  The  whole  atmosphere  is  pregnant  with 
plants  and  invisible  seeds,  and  even  the  largest  grains  are  dispersed 
by  the  wind  over  the  earth  ;  and  as  soon  as  they  are  transported  to 
the  places  proper  for  them  to  germinate  in,  they  become  plants,  and 
often  so  little  soil  is  necessary  for  this  purpose,  that  we  can  scarcely 
conceive  Avhence  they  derive  the  necessary  degree  of  nourisliment. 
There  are  plants,  and  even  trees,  which  take  root  and  grow  in  the 
clefts  of  rocks  without  any  soil  whatever. 

Vegetation  is  sometimes  very  rapid  ;  of  which  we  have  instances 
in  mushrooms,  and  the  common  cresses,  the  seed  of  which,  if  put  into 
a  wet  cloth,  will  be  fit  for  a  salad  in  twenty-four  hours.  There  are 
plants  that  exist  with  scarcely  any  perceptible  vitality.  We  often  see 
willows,  which  are  not  only  hollow  and  decayed  within,  but  their  ex- 
ternal bark  is  so  much  injured  that  very  little  of  it  remains  ;  yet  from 
these  seemingly  sapless  trunks  buds  sprout  in  the  spring,  and  they 
are  crowned  with  leaves  and  branches.  It  is  truly  wonderful  that 
plants  should  not  only  imbibe  nutriment  by  their  roots,  but  that  their 
leaves  also  should  assist  in  this  important  function,  by  inspiring  air ; 
and  an  inverted  tree  will  flourish,  as  well  as  when  in  its  proper  situa- 
tion, for  the  branches  will  grow  in  the  earth  and  become  roots. 


STURM'S  KEFLECTIOxNS. 


207 


The  advanced  age  that  some  trees  attain  to,  is  also  very  remark- 
able. Some  apple  trees  are  above  a  tliousand  years  old  ;  and  if  we 
calculate  the  amount  of  the  annual  produce  of  such  a  tree  for  the 
above  space  of  time,  we  shall  fmd  that  a  single  pippin  might  supply 
all  Europe  with  trees  and  fruit.  So  extensive  is  this  subject,  that  to 
follow  it  through  all  its  ramifications  would  lead  us  on  nmch  too  far 
for  our  present  limits.  All  nature  teems  with  wonders  ;  every  thing 
leads  to  an  infinitely  perfect  Being,  whose  power,  united  to  boundless 
wisdom  and  goodness,  is  continually  acting  for  our  benefit,  and  daily 
giving  us  fresh  cause  for  gratitude  and  admiration. 

How  great  and  magnificent  are  Thy  works,  O  Lord  !  What  won- 
ders crowd  upon  my  mind !  I  view  them  with  rapture,  and  am  lost  in 
the  contemplation  ;  they  surpass  my  comprehension  ;  1  cannot  fathom 
them.  At  thy  command  the  grass  shoots  forth  its  green  blade,  and 
the  woods  are  clothed  with  verdure  ;  the  flowers  adorn  the  fields  and 
beautify  the  gardens  with  their  glowing  colours  ;  the  tree  lifts  its  tall 
head  to  the  clouds,  and  the  mountain  cedar  declares  Thy  glory ! 
Wherever  I  turn  my  view,  new  wonders  delight  me :  the  meadows, 
the  mountains  and  the  valleys,  the  rivers,  the  seas,  and  all,  from  the 
least  atom  to  the  distant  spheres  in  the  heavens^  declare  Thy  goodness 
and  display  Thy  ^lory  ! 


JUNE  XII. 

MEANS  OF  HAPPINESS  DERIVED  FROM  NATURE. 

We  have  only  to  consider  the  bond  and  connexion  existing  between 
man  and  all  natural  productions  to  be  convinced  that  everything 
throughout  nature  tends  to  his  utility.  For  though  there  are  many 
bodies  whose  use  with  respect  to  man  we  do  not  readily  perceive,  it  is 
not  reasonable  to  conclude  that  w^e  derive  no  advantage  from  them. 
Many  things,  which  in  the  days  of  our  forefathers  were  considered  as 
useless,  are  now  regarded  as  benefits;  and  we  may  justly  presume 
that  our  posterity  will  discover  many  things  to  be  useful,  of  whose 
nature  we  are  now  ignorant.  In  this  we  may  acknowledge  the  Di- 
vine wisdom,  w^hicli  has  concealed  from  us  the  true  use  of  many 
creatures,  that  we  may  be  more  humble  by  feeling  the  limits  of  our 
knowledge,  and  that  our  faculties  may  be  continually  exercised  and 
improved  by  contemplating  the  works  of  the  creation.  Many  produc- 
tions of  nature  are  only  indirectly  useful ;  for  as  some  animals  serve 
for  nourishment  to  man,  consequently  whatever  tends  to  their  support 
must  be  useful  to  us.  We  find  that  many  creatures  are  conducive  to 
the  nourishment  of  others  ;  small  fish  are  the  food  of  larger ;  many 
birds  feed  on  worms  and  insects  ;  and  there  are  many  species  which 
live  entirely  by  prey.  Here  again  the  divine  wisdom  is  manifested; 
for  if  the  produce  of  the  fields  formed  the  sole  nourishment  of  ani- 
mals, there  would  not  be  a  sufficiency  left  for  the  su[)port  of  man. 


208  STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 

There  are  some  animals,  as  those  of  a  venomous  nature,  Avhich 
certainly  are  hurtful  to  man  ;  and  there  are  some  poisons  so  powerful 
as  instantaneously  to  kill ;  on  which  accounts,  many  creatures  are 
regarded  in  a  very  disadvantageous  light ;  yet,  if  we  consider  them 
more  attentively,  we  shall  discover  traces  of  the  goodness  of  God,  and 
have  cause  to  admire  his  wisdom.  Physicians  make  use  of  many  ex- 
cellent remedies,  in  the  composition  of  which  are  substances  of  a 
poisonous  nature.  And  can  we  suppose  that  man  would  be  more 
happy  if  there  were  no  venomous  animals  upon  the  earth?  The 
poison  that  they  bear  is  in  part  derived  from  malignant  vapours,  which 
man  could  not  have  respired  without  injury  ;  and,  in  short,  we  may 
say  with  confidence,  that  there  is  nothing  upon  earth  really  injurious 
to  him,  unless  he  makes  an  improper  use  of  it. 

But  if  in  the  formation  of  the  globe  God  had  our  happiness  in 
view,  are  we  not  inexcusable  in  counteracting  his  gracious  designs, 
by  putting  obstacles  to  our  own  felicity,  instead  of  contributing  to  pro- 
mote it  by  our  most  earnest  endeavours  1  God's  designs  towards  us 
are  merciful,  but  we  often  render  them  ineffectual  by  a  mode  of  con- 
duct which  necessarily  makes  us  unhappy.  Let  us  henceforth  be 
wiser,  and  better  profit  by  those  various  means  of  happiness  with 
which  it  has  pleased  a  gracious  God  to  supply  us  so  abundantly  in 
the  kingdom  of  nature ;  and  as  our  desires  are  not  completely  satis- 
fied by  any  thing  this  world  can  afford,  let  us  look  up  to  Heaven,  the 
source  of  all  good,  and  we  shall  feel  our  minds  enlarged  by  the  influ- 
ence of  a  pure  religion,  which  will  teach  us  things  of  which  we  were 
before  ignorant,  and  point  out  the  true  path  to  endless  feUcity  ! 


JUNE  XIIL 

THE  MAGNET. 

Of  all  the  bodies  in  the  mineral  kingdom  the  magnet,  or  loadstone, 
has  the  most  striking  properties.  It  is  an  iron  ore  of  a  dark  gray  co- 
lour, and  has  the  property  of  attracting  iron.  This  power  of  attraction 
resides  chiefly  in  the  two  extremities  of  the  magnet  which  are  termed 
its  poles  ;  and  when  it  is  free  and  suspended  by  a  string,  it  constantly 
directs  one  pole  to  the  north  and  the  other  to  the  south.  This  effect 
is  invariably  produced,  however  the  stone  may  be  moved,  if  it  is  at 
last  left  to  itself. 

This  constant  and  uniform  direction  of  the  magnet,  which  only 
varies  in  some  particular  parts  of  the  globe,  has  given  rise  to  that  ex- 
tremity of  it  which  points  to  the  south  being  called  the  south  pole, 
and  the  opposite  extremity  the  north  pole,  of  the  loadstone.  It  com- 
municates to  iron  polarity,  and  the  power  of  attracting  steel.  This 
discovery  introduced  the  magnetic  needle,  so  necessary  to  navigators; 
hence  we  find  that  many  things  which  at  first  seemed  to  be  of  no  im- 
portance, may  become  highly  useful  to  the  world  ;  and  the  more  we 


STURxVrS  REFLECTIONS. 


209 


extend  our  knowledge  of  nature,  and  study  the  magnificence  of  the 
creation,  the  more  will  our  intelligence  be  amplified,  our  understand- 
ing enlarged,  and  our  means  of  felicity  increased. 

These  virtues  of  the  magnet  induced  naturalists  to  examine  it 
more  closely,  that  they  might  be  enabled  to  penetrate  into  the  cause 
of  such  surprising  effects,  as  well  as  discover  new  properties  in  the 
stone  ;  in  which  last  endeavour  they  were  more  fortunate  than  in  the 
former.  They  found  that  the  magnet  did  not  always,  nor  in  all 
places,  point  alike  to  the  north  ;  but  that  it  inclines  one  while  towards 
the  east,  and  at  another  towards  the  west :  they  also  remarked,  that 
its  attractive  power  acted  as  strongly  when  they  interposed  any  other 
body  between  it  and  the  iron.  All  metals,  iron  excepted,  wood, 
*  glass,  fire,  water,  and  animal  bodies,  give  a  free  passage  to  the  mag- 
netic fluid,  and  do  not  prevent  its  acting  upon  iron.  They  discovered 
that  the  north  pole  of  one  magnet  attracts  the  south  pole  of  the  other, 
and  that  the  north  pole  of  one  repels  the  north  po]e  of  the  other ; 
and  the  south  poles  applied  together  also  repel  each  other.  It  was 
supposed  that  the  attractive  power  resides  in  the  iron  as  well  as  in 
the  magnet,  since  the  attraction  seems  to  be  mutual.  To  prove  this, 
we  have  only  to  suspend  a  magnet  at  one  end  of  the  beam  of  a  balance, 
and  attach  to  the  other  extremity  a  weight  equal  to  that  of  the 
magnet ;  when  the  balance  is  made  perfectly  equal,  place  a  piece  of 
iron  beneath  it,  and  the  magnet,  attracted  by  the  iron,  will  descend. 
The  same  thing  will  happen  if  the  iron  is  attached  to  the  beam,  and 
the  magnet  be  placed  beneath. 

How^ever  singular  these  phenomena  may  appear,  there  is  another 
circumstance  respecting  the  magnet  not  less  deserving  our  attention  ; 
which  is,  that  all  the  skill,  the  sagacit}^,  and  efforts,  of  philosophers, 
have  not  succeeded  in  discovering  the  cause  of  these  astonishing 
effects :  notwithstanding  all  their  labours  the  magnet  still  continues 
to  perplex  the  learned,  and  excite  the  desires  of  the  curious  to  unra- 
vel its  mysteries.  If  then  in  natural  productions  there  are  many 
things  which  the  human  intellect  cannot  comprehend  or  explain,  how 
much  more  must  there  be  in  religion,  which  is  elevated  so  far  above 
all  the  objects  of  our  senses  1  There  are  mysteries,  the  explanation 
of  which  w^e  cannot  obtain  in  this  finite  state  of  existence,  and  the 
perfect  knowledge  of  which  is  reserved  for  a  future  w^orld.  And  can 
it  be  surprising  that  there  are  things  in  rehgion  beyond  the  reach  of 
our  understanding,  when  there  are  natural  productions  which  daily 
attract  our  attention,  whose  properties  defy  the  united  powers  of  the 
learned  to  explain  1  There  are,  however,  men  who  have  the  pre- 
sumption and  the  folly  to  doubt,  and  even  to  deny,  all  that  they  can- 
not understand  of  religion.  If  this  was  a  just  method  of  proceeding, 
it  w^ould  be  equally  rational  to  doubt  or  to  deny  that  the  magnet 
attracts  iron,  or  possesses  polarity  ;  and  to  assert  that  all  that  is  re- 
lated of  it  is  false  ;  for  we  cannot  explain  or  comprehend  the  cause  of 
the  effects  it  produces. 

When  the  existence  of  natural  objects  is  disputed,  we  have  only  to 
say  unto  the  skeptic,  Come  and  see  :  but  the  mysteries  of  religion 


210 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


are  not  so  easily  penetrated  ;  they  are  hidden  from  the  foolishly  wise, 
and  are  revealed  unto  babes  ;  they  are  seen  only  with  a  spiritual  eye, 
and  their  perfect  comprehension  is  reserved  for  a  more  pure  and  exalted 
state  of  existence.  When  we  meet  with  difficulties,  and  things 
which  we  cannot  comprehend,  whether  in  the  ample  volume  of  nature 
or  in  the  pages  of  religion,  let  us  not  be  impatient,  but  bow  with  re- 
signation to  the  will  of  all-ruling  Heaven  ;  remembering,  that  how- 
ever confined  are  our  faculties  and  humble  our  intellectual  attain- 
ments in  this  life,  we  are  graciously  favoured  to  hope  and  believe  that 
a  great  portion  of  our  felicity  in  a  future  world  will  be  in  that  expan- 
sion of  soul  by  which  it  will  be  enabled  to  know  all  that  is  now  con- 
cealed from  it,  and  approach  in  its  nature  nearer  to  its  Almighty 
Creator. 


JUNE  XIV. 

CHERRIES. 

The  cherry  is  a  fruit,  which,  by  its  sweetness,  blended  with  a  pleas- 
ing acidity,  quenches  the  thirst,  allays  the  heat  of  the  blood  in  sum- 
mer, and  prevents  many  disagreeable  effects  which  a  hot  season 
might  produce  in  our  system.  They  quench  the  thirst,  by  their  sharp- 
ness causing  the  salivary  glands  to  contract,  they  cool  the  parched 
tongue,  and  moisten  the  dry  palate.  This  mode  of  allaying  thirst 
during  hot  weather  is  much  preferable  to  drinking  a  large  quantity  of 
liquid,  which  distends  the  stomach,  and  tends  to  increase  the  heat  and 
perspiration.  Besides  the  cherries  thus  pleasantly  appeasing  our 
thirst,  they  possess  a  cooling  property,  which  tempers  the  heat  of  the 
blood  ;  and  thus  prevents  the  debilitating  effects  of  the  nerves  being 
continually  stimulated.  Thus  the  beneficial  juice  of  cherries,  by  its 
acidity  and  astringent  virtue,  refreshes  us  during  fervent  heats,  puri- 
fies the  blood,  and  preserves  the  fluids  from  putrefaction.  How  mer- 
cifully has  the  Creator  provided  us  with  fruits  adapted  to  each  sea- 
son !  During  the  hot  months  w^e  require  cooling  and  acid  fruits  ;  and 
we  receive  them  in  abundance,  both  salutary  and  agreeable,  conduc- 
ing to  our  nourishment  whilst  they  gratify  our  taste.  We  possess 
them  so  plentifully,  that  the  poor  can  enjoy  them  as  well  as  the  rich  : 
let  us  make  this  consohng  reflection,  whenever  we  see  a  cherry-tree 
laden  with  fruit.  How  sorrowful  would  be  the  fate  of  the  labourer 
who  gains  his  daily  bread  with  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  if  he  had  no 
other  means  of  cooling  himself  than  the  delicious  beverages  which 
the  aflfiuent  alone  can  procure  !  Meiciful  Father  !  Thou  art  mindful 
of  the  indigent ;  thou  providest  for  his  wants  and  condescendest  to 
refresh  him  with  fruits  which  thy  kind  Providence  has  placed  within 
his  reach ;  and  cherries  are  more  wholesome  and  refreshing  to  the 
>Veary  labourer  than  lemonade  and  the  most  sparkling  wines  to  the 
rich.    We  have  great  cause  to  be  thankful  for  the  abundance  of  acid 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


211 


and  cooling  fruits  this  season  affords  ;  gooseberries,  currants,  cucum- 
bers, stone-fruits,  salads,  &c.  are  so  many  agreeable  preservatives  of 
the  health. 

Whenever  we  enjoy  the  sweets  of  cherries,  let  us  consider  them  as 
blessings  from  heaven,  and  acknowledge  the  goodness  of  our  Creator. 
The  heavens,  the  earth,  the  elements,  and  every  hving  creature  con- 
tribute to  our  happiness  ;  wherever  we  turn  our  eyes  they  meet  the 
blessings  of  our  heavenly  Father,  which  every  where  surround  us. 
Animals,  corn,  vegetables,  and  fruit,  in  the  valleys  and  upon  the 
mountains,  in  the  forests  and  in  the  seas,  all  serve  for  our  pleasure 
and  support.  The  all-beneficent  hand  of  the  Most  High  is  continu- 
ally open  to  us,  and  his  blessings  are  for  ever  showering  down  from 
Heaven.  When  we  walk  abroad  in  the  fields  or  in  the  garden,  when 
we  en  joy  the  beauties  and  the  blessings  of  nature,  let  us  think  of  him, 
the  Source  of  every  delight  and  of  every  pleasure. 


JUNE  XV. 

WISDOM  DISPLAYED  IN  THE   STRUCTURE  OF  THE  BODIES  OF 

ANIMALS. 

The  formation  of  the  animal  body  furnishes  the  most  convincing 
proofs  of  divine  wisdom ;  for  as  some  animals  are  designed  to  live 
principally  in  the  air,  others  upon  the  earth,  and  others  in  the  water, 
it  was  requisite  that  their  structure  should  be  adapted  to  their  parti- 
cular habitation,  and  conformable  to  their  peculiar  modes  of  life. 
And  this  we  find  they  possess  in  a  most  admirable  manner :  they  are 
each  provided  with  that  structure  which  is  most  appropriate  to  their 
nature  ;  so  much  so,  that  any  other  arrangement  would  have  been 
inconvenient,  if  not  prejudicial. 

Amongst  birds,  those  which  live  upon  prey  are  provided  with 
strong  talons  and  sharp-hooked  beaks,  that  they  may  more  readily 
seize  and  hold  their  prey.  Those  which  are  obliged  to  seek  their 
nourishment  in  marshy  places  require  a  long  slender  bill,  and  long 
legs  ;  and  those  which  live  in  water  should  have  the  lower  parts  of 
their  bodies  large,  a  long  neck,  membranes  hke  webs  connecting 
their  claws,  enabling  them  to  act  as  oars,  and  a  kind  of  oil  upon  their 
feathers  to  render  them  smooth. 

Insects  which  live  upon  prey  have  a  mouth  formed  like  pincers  or 
claws,  and  those  which  live  by  suction  are  provided  with  a  sting  or 
proboscis.  The  eyes  of  hares  and  rabbits  are  large  and  project  a  con- 
siderable way  from  the  head,  that  they  may  easily  discover  and  avoid 
the  dangers  and  snares  to  which  they  are  exposed  ;  and  the  eyes  of 
the  mole  are  small  and  sunk  deep  in  the  head,  because  being  destined 
to  live  chiefly  under  ground,  little  light  was  requisite,  and  pronnnent 
eyes  would  have  much  impeded  it  in  the  operation  of  burrowing. 

The  crystalline  humour  in  the  eyes  of  fish  is  spherical,  to  remedy 


212 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  inconvenience  which  would  arise  from  the  refraction  of  the  rays 
of  ligrht  ill  an  aqueous  medium  ;  while  animals  which  live  in  the  air 
have  the  crystalline  lenticular,  or  plano-convex.  Why  have  animalg 
whose  eyes  are  moveable  only  two,  whilst  those  animals  whose  eyes 
are  fixed  have  several  ?  Why  is  the  pupil  of  animals  which  seek 
their  prey  in  the  night  large  and  brilliant  ?  And  why  does  the  eye 
of  the  hen  answer  both  the  purpose  of  a  telescope  and  microscope, 
if  not  to  enable  her  to  see  the  smallest  seeds  in  the  earth  and  among 
gravel,  and  that  she  may  discover  at  a  distance  the  birds  of  prey 
which  threaten  to  seize  her  young  1 

How  astonishing  is  that  vast  assemblage  of  organs  by  which  ani- 
mals perform  their  different  motions!  What  a  multitude  of  lim.bs  ! 
What  pliability  and  activity  !  What  numerous  muscles,  nerves, 
bones,  and  cartilages,  every  motion  puts  in  action  !  Some  animals 
move  slowly,  others  swiftly  ;  some  have  two  feet,  others  more  ;  some 
have  both  wings  and  feet,  others  neither.  The  quickness  or  slow- 
ness with  which  each  animal  moves  is  regulated  according  to  its  ne- 
cessities. Those  which  are  well  armed,  w^hich  have  courage,  force, 
and  skill  to  defend  themselves  against  their  enemies,  move  more 
slowly  than  those  which  are  destitute  of  these  properties.  Who  has 
given  to  serpents  and  other  reptiles  the  power  of  contracting  and  ex- 
tending their  bodies,  of  coiling  themselves  into  a  circle,  and  of  darting 
upon  their  prey  1  Who  has  so  constructed  the  fish  that  by  means  of 
their  bladder  they  can  at  pleasure  ascend  or  descend  in  the  water  1 
Who  has  taught  the  snail  to  contract  its  body,  and  make  water  enter 
into  its  little  habitation  when  it  wishes  to  fall  to  the  ground  1 

How  skilful  is  the  structure  of  birds,  particularly  their  wings  :  and 
how  well  their  body  is  adapted  for  flight !  small  and  sharp  before,  and 
gradually  increasing  till  they  have  acquired  their  proper  size,  they 
readily  cut  the  yielding  air,  and  are  less  impeded  in  their  passage 
through  that  element.  The  feathers  are  all  arranged  Avith  much  art, 
lying  one  upon  another  in  regular  order,  by  which  they  facilitate  the 
motion  of  the  body,  and  at  the  same  time  serve  it  for  a  covering  and 
a  defence  against  stormy  weather  and  the  severity  of  winter.  Though 
close  and  strongly  joined  together,  they  are  capable  of  extending  and 
erecting  themselves  ;  of  swelling  out  and  forming  a  larger  volume, 
according  as  the  necessities  of  the  bird  may  require.  The  wings, 
which  are  the  great  instruments  of  flight,  are  placed  in  the  most  con- 
venient part  for  keeping  the  body  exactly  balanced  in  so  subtile  a  fluid, 
as  the  air.  How  admirable  is  the  construction  of  each  single  feather  ! 
The  quill  is  stiff  and  hollow  towards  the  lower  extremity,  which  ren- 
ders it  both  light  and  strong.  The  beard  of  feathers  is  arranged  with 
regularity,  broad  on  one  side  and  narrow  on  the  other ;  which  is  par- 
ticularly  useful  in  the  progressive  motion  of  birds,  as  well  as  in  the 
strong  and  close  texture  of  the  wings.  The  feathers  are  also  placed 
in  the  most  exact  proportion,  so  that  each  accords  with  the  length  and 
strength  of  those  next  to  it ;  and  the  larger  support  the  smaller.  Im 
the  bony  parts  of  the  wings  there  are  numerous  joints  which  opem 
and  shut,  or  move  as  necessity  requires,  whether  to  extend  the  wings 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


213 


or  bring  them  closer  to  the  body.  The  pectoral  muscles  are  formed 
with  much  strength,  to  enable  the  bird  to  pass  through  the  air  with 
greater  rapidity.  The  tail  is  so  admirably  constructed  that  it  serves 
as  a  helm  to  direct  the  flight,  and  assist  the  bird  in  risingand  descend- 
ing in  the  air,  whilst  it  keeps  the  body  and  wings  in  a  steady  position. 
The  legs  and  feet  are  equally  appropriate  to  their  different  motions  ; 
in  some  birds  the  claws  are  large,  and  provided  with  membranes 
which  extend  and  contract  to  enable  them  to  swim;  in  others  the 
claws  are  sharp,  and  crooked  at  the  points,  that  they  may  tread  more 
firmly,  perch,  seize,  and  hold  their  prey ;  in  some  the  legs  are  long, 
that  they  may  walk  in  the  water,  and  rake  up  their  food  from  wet  and 
marshy  places. 

In  all  this  we  must  see  and  acknowledge  the  supreme  intelligence 
of  our  Creator  and  merciful  Benefactor.  Is  it  possible  that  things  so 
wonderful,  regular,  and  admirably  proportioned,  can  be  the  effect  of 
chance  !  Or  can  any  one  be  so  weak  as  to  imagine  it  was  without 
design  that  all  this  series  of  vessels,  of  muscles,  of  joints,  &c.  &c.  in 
each  animal,  were  put  in  motion;  and  that  every  part,  even  the  most 
minute,  should  bear  so  strict  a  relation  to  others,  and  all  fulfil  their 
diflferent  functions  with  such  perfect  harmony  and  regularity  1  It 
ought  rather  to  excite  in  our  minds  the  idea  of  some  great  First  Cause 
of  all,  which  is  the  Creator  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth ;  whose 
wisdom  and  goodness  has  formed  all  these  creatures,  and  given  them 
that  structure  which  is  best  adapted  to  their  nature  and  situation.  Let 
the  presence  of  these  objects  then  lead  us  to  glorify  and  adore  the  Al- 
mighty ;  let  us  seek  for  that  living  wisdom  which  will  teach  us  more 
and  more  of  his  ways,  that  we  may  become  better  and  more  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  that  Being  who  has  so  gloriously  manifested 
himself  throughout  the  creation. 


JUNE  XVI. 

DEW. 

The  wise  Governor  of  nature,  who  continually  watches  over  his 
children,  and  provides  for  all  their  wants,  makes  use  of  various  means 
to  render  the  earth  fertile.  Sometimes  he  effects  this  by  inundations, 
which,  though  they  may  lay  waste  the  fields,  and  excite  the  murmurs 
of  those  short-sighted  men  who  only  consider  present  evils,  produce 
in  the  end  the  most  beneficial  consequences  to  the  country  in  general. 
Sometimes  they  proceed  from  a  vast  river,  which,  like  the  Nile,  at 
stated  periods  issues  from  its  bed,  to  water  a  country  and  refresh  the 
parched  fields,  where  showers  never  fall ;  and  at  other  times  they  are 
caused  by  heavy  rains,  which  descend  more  or  less  frequently  to  cool 
the  air,  to  moderate  the  heats  of  summer,  and  to  irrigate  the  dry 
earth.  But  these  means  are  neither  sufficiently  constant  nor  abun- 
dant ;  the  most  usual,  certain,  and  universal,  but  that  which  perhaps 


214 


ÖTURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


is  the  least  valued  and  regarded,  is  the  dew.  This  blessed  gift  of 
heaven,  which  even  in  years  of  the  greatest  drought  preserves  and 
supports  vegetation,  consists  in  those  pure  and  brilliant  drops  that 
every  morning  and  evening  are  seen  collected  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties upon  the  leaves  of  trees  and  plants. 

Dew  does  not  descend  from  above,  from  regions  more  elevated  than 
our  atmosphere,  as  was  formerly  imagined  ;  neither  is  it  an  exhalation 
from  the  heavenly  bodies,  as  some  have  supposed.  This  pretended 
celestial  origin  occasioned  that  absurd  notion  of  alchymists,  which 
induced  them  to  expect  the  formation  of  gold  from  the  drops  of  dew. 
At  present  it  is  generally  understood  that  dew  is  nothing  more  than  a 
vapour,  which  during  the  warmth  of  day  exhales  from  the  earth  and 
vegetable  productions,  and,  condensed  by  the  coldness  of  the  night, 
falls  in  drops.  To  be  convinced  of  this,  we  have  merely  to  cover  a 
plant  with  a  bell-glass,  and  we  shall  observe  a  greater  quantity  of 
moisture  collected  upon  its  leaves  than  upon  those  which  are  exposed 
to  the  open  air.  This  certainly  could  not  happen  if  the  dew  descend- 
ed from  above,  or  if  it  did  not  arise  from  the  earth.  Nothing  is  more 
easy  than  to  account  for  its  formation  ;  for  no  one  can  be  ignorant  that 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  the  heat  diffused  over  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  continually  cause  to  exhale  from  different  bodies  a  multitude  of 
subtile  particles,  some  of  which  ascend  into  the  atmosphere,  and  others 
collect  in  the  form  of  aqueous  drops.  This  explanation  of  dew  accounts 
for  its  being  sometimes  prejudicial,  and  at  others  not  so  ;  its  nature 
considerably  depends  upon  the  properties  of  the  vapours  of  which  it 
is  composed.  The  wind  carries  off  the  very  subtile  exhalations  as 
soon  as  they  are  extricated,  and  thus  prevents  their  forming  in  drops  ; 
hence  it  happens  that  the  dew  is  most  abundant  when  the  air  is 
calm. 

By  this  wise  provision  of  nature,  plants  are  enabled  to  grow  and 
increase  in  countries  where  it  never  rains  ;  for  the  soil  in  those  coun- 
tries being  sandy,  porous,  and  very  moist  beneath,  by  means  of  heat, 
a  copious  supply  of  dew  is  effected,  which  surrounds  the  plants,  and 
affords  them  nutriment.  These  different  means  which  Divine  Provi- 
dence uses  to  moisten  and  fertilize  the  earth  should  recall  to  our 
minds  those  which  he  uses  to  ameliorate  the  hearts  of  men,  and  ren- 
der them  productive  of  good  works.  Chastisements  more  or  less  se- 
vere, blessings  of  every  kind,  exhortations  and  warnings,  by  the 
mouths  of  his  prophets  and  ministers,  with  the  examples  of  our  fel- 
low-creatures, and  a  thousand  other  means,  are  employed  by  a  gra- 
cious God  to  draw  us  into  his  holy  communion,  to  sanctify  us,  and 
render  us  capable  of  bringing  forth  the  fruits  of  piety  and  of  virtue. 
Sometimes  a  storm  gathers,  the  sluices  of  heaven  are  opened,  the 
rivers  burst  their  banks,  and  the  country  far  round  is  desolated  with 
the  wide  sweeping  inundation ;  at  other  times,  God  calls  forth  from 
the  earth  the  sweet  dew,  and  thus  listens  in  secret  to  the  prayers 
which  the  husbandman  had  uttered  for  rain.  So  also  he  operates  in 
different  ways  for  the  salvation  of  man.  To  some  hardened  hearts 
he  speaks  in  thunder  and  lightning  as  formerly  from  the  top  of  Sinai ; 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


215 


others  he  calls  unto  him,  in  a  voice  milder  than  the  evening  zephyr, 
and  sweeter  than  the  breath  of  morning  :  he  awakens  their  slumber- 
ing faculties,  and  fresheneth  their  souls  with  the  beneficent  dew  of 
his  grace. 

Let  this  gracious  mercy  of  God  raise  in  us  ardent  desires  to  imitate 
his  heavenly  goodness ;  let  us  use  all  our  exertions  to  reclaim  the 
wicked  from  their  evil  ways,  and  direct  the  steps  of  those  who  have 
strayed  into  the  true  path.  But  let  us  ever  remember  the  merciful 
kindness  of  God,  and  after  his  example  endeavour  to  recall  the  mis- 
taken deluded  children  of  iniquity,  by  mild  persuasion  and  brotherly 
entreaties.  We  see  how  he  refreshes  the  parched  earth  by  his  dew, 
and  gives  new  Kfe  to  vegetation.  Let  us  then  think  upon  the  num- 
ber of  our  fellow-creatures  bowed  down  by  affliction,  and  languish- 
ing for  want  of  assistance  ;  and  let  not  their  sighs  pierce  our  ears  in 
vain,  neither  let  us  turn  away  from  their  complaints,  nor  refuse  the 
tear  of  sympathy  to  their  misery  when  we  are  unable  to  relieve  all 
their  necessities.  Let  us  by  our  kindness  diffuse  the  cheering  rays  of 
consolation  into  the  hearts  of  those  that  mourn,  and  pour  blessings 
upon  our  fellow-creatures,  abundant  as  the  morning  dew. 


JUNE  XVIL 

MODE  OF  LIFE  AND  LABOURS  OF  THE  BEES. 

In  these  gay  and  joyful  days  of  summer,  every  thing  in  the  animal 
kingdom  is  in  motion,  all  is  full  of  life  and  activity  ;  but  no  creatures 
are  so  active  for  our  advantage  as  the  little  republic  of  bees.  Of  all 
the  insects  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  none  are  more  worthy  of 
oar  observation,  or  present  us  with  a  more  agreeable  and  profitable 
spectacle, 

Bees  generally  dwell  in  great  numbers  in  hollow  trees  and  cavities, 
or  in  a  kind  of  basket  called  a  hive,  which  men  have  formed  to  collect 
them  together.  They  fly  abroad,  and  disperse  themselves  over  the 
country,  and  by  means  of  their  trunks  or  probosces  extract  honey  and 
wax  from  the  juices  and  stamina  of  flowers.  This  they  bring  to  their 
dwelling,  which  they  fill  with  hexagonal  cells,  in  some  of  which  they 
reside  ;  others  are  destined  to  receive  the  eggs  and  hold  their  young, 
and  others  form  the  magazines  where  they  deposit  the  honey  which 
is  to  support  them  during  the  winter. 

Amongst  all  these  bees,  which  together  form  one  large  family, 
there  is  one  greater  than  the  rest,  of  the  female  sex,  and  on  that 
account  called  the  queen.  To  her  alone  all  the  young  of  one  hive 
owe  their  existence  ;  from  the  eggs  which  she  has  deposited  in  the 
cells  little  grubs  are  produced,  which  the  working  bees  feed  for  some 
time  with  their  trunks.  These  grubs  remain  in  their  cells,  which  are 
clothed  with  a  covering  of  wax,  for  fifteen  days,  in  a  state  of  perfect 
repose  ;  in  this  quiescent  form  they  are  called  nymphae.    When  the 


216 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


proper  time  is  arrived,  they  open  tlieir  cells,  and  come  forth  in  the 
shape  of  young  bees.  Besides  the  queen,  there  are  two  other  species 
of  bees  in  each  hive  ;  the  labouring  bee  and  the  drone.  These  latter 
are  males  and  impregnate  the  queen,  as  well  as  serve  her  for  a  guard. 
Bees  have  fixed  in  their  heads  two  antennae  or  horns,  which  defend 
their  eyes  and  warn  them  of  danger ;  they  have  fangs  or  claws,  which 
they  use  in  their  labours,  and  a  trunk  or  hollow  tube,  that  they  can 
project  from,  or  draw  into  its  sheath  at  pleasure.  This  instrument, 
flexible  and  moveable  in  every  direction,  forces  itself  to  the  bottom  of 
the  cup  of  flowers,  where  it  collects  the  honey,  which  passes  through 
the  tube  into  a  little  bag  placed  within  their  bodies,  whence  the 
honey  is  afterward  poured  out  into  the  cells. 

Bees  have  six  feet ;  with  the  two  first  and  their  fangs  they  form 
the  wax,  which  was  the  farina  of  flowers,  into  little  balls,  and  with 
their  middle  feet  place  them  in  a  hollow  which  they  have  in  their 
hinder  feet,  which  are  furnished  with  hairs  that  retain  the  wax,  and 
prevent  it  falling  oflf  while  they  fly.  Thus,  laden  with  honey  and 
wax,  the  working  bees  return  to  their  hives  without  missing  their 
way,  though  they  sometimes  fly  the  distance  of  several  miles.  When 
arrived  at  home,  they  meet  other  bees  waiting  to  assist  them  to  dis- 
charge their  burden,  and  then  they  all  unite  together  to  employ  the 
provisions  to  the  best  advantage  for  the  hive  in  general.  With  the 
wax  they  close  up  the  crevices  of  their  dwellings,  to  prevent  any  ani- 
mal intruding  ;  and  they  leave  only  such  openings  as  are  necessary 
for  their  own  convenience.  The  queen  and  working  bees  have  at  the 
extremity  of  their  bodies  a  sting  enclosed  in  a  sheath,  which  they 
use  to  wound  and  destroy  their  enemies;  but  when  the  sting  re- 
mains in  the  wound  which  they  make,  it  is  generally  fatal  to  them- 
selves. 

Every  thing  in  these  little  animals  is  wonderful,  and  highly  deserv- 
ing of  our  attention.  The  structure  of  their  limbs,  so  regular,  and 
w^ell  adapted  to  their  mode  of  life  ;  the  care  which  they  take  of  their 
young  ;  the  art  with  which  they  construct  their  cells  ;  and  their  acti- 
vity, industry,  and  intelligence ;  all  excite  our  admiration,  and  be- 
speak the  agency  of  a  superior  powder.  Thus,  if  we  wish  to  meditate 
upon  our  Creator,  contemplating  a  hive  of  bees  will  lead  us  to  him, 
and  call  forth  our  adoration  of  that  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness,  so 
eminently  displayed  in  the  production  and  operations  of  these  little 
creatures. 


JUNE  XVIII. 

EXTERNAL  PARTS  OF  PLANTS. 

In  order  to  form  a  just  idea  of  the  inimitable  art  displayed  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  we  must  proceed  by  degrees.  Our  faculties  are 
too  limited  to  take  in  the  whole  at  one  view,  or  to  acquire  a  perfect 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


217 


knowledge  of  it  in  this  state  of  existence.  We  must,  therefore,  con- 
tent ourselves  with  a  few  observations,  and  proceed  from  visible  to  in- 
visible things  ;  from  simple  and  individual  objects  to  those  which  are 
more  compHcated  and  general.  Let  us  begin  then  with  the  external 
parts  of  plants,  and  first  examine  the  roots.  These  are  so  constructed, 
that  by  means  of  tlie  principal  root,  and  the  little  fibres  that  proceed 
from  it,  the  plants  are  fixed  in  the  earth.  The  pores  of  the  root 
enable  it  to  imbibe  the  aqueous  and  nutritious  juices  which  the  soil 
contains.  From  the  root  grows  the  stem,  to  which  the  plant  owes  its 
strength  and  beauty  :  its  structure  differs  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  plant ;  sometimes  it  is  the  form  of  a  tube,  strengthened  by  differ- 
ent knots  which  are  skilfully  arranged  ;  and  in  other  plants  the  stem 
is  so  slender,  that  it  requires  a  support  round  which  it  may  twine  and 
fasten  itself  by  little  hooks  which  proceed  from  it.  In  others  the  stem 
rises  majestically  like  a  pillar,  and  becomes  the  ornament  of  the 
forests,  seeming  to  defy  the  winds  and  the  tempests.  The  branches 
extend  themselves  like  arms,  and  are  regularly  distributed ;  they  en- 
large themselves,  and  divide  into  others  which  are  collaterally  dis- 
posed in  the  same  order  Avith  the  principal  branches.  The  buds  which 
sprout  from  them  are  small  plants,  which  if  inserted  in  the  earth, 
will  take  root,  and  in  time  grow  up  like  the  tree  from  which  they 
were  taken. 

The  leaves,  those  lovely,  beautiful  ornaments  of  plants,  are  regu- 
larly disposed  round  the  stalks  and  branches ;  and  among  thousands 
we  can  scarcely  find  two  that  exactly  resemble  each  other ;  each 
one  differing  in  structure,  figure,  size,  and  beauty.  Leaves  are  either 
simple  or  compound,  hairy  or  fleshy,  smooth  or  curled  and  indented. 
The  blossoms  of  trees,  which  form  one  of  nature's  chiefest  beauties, 
are  not  less  diversified  than  the  leaves  :  some  are  simple,  and  have 
only  one  flower;  others  have  several.  They  present  every  variety 
of  shape  and  appearance  :  some  of  the  petals  are  disposed  carelessly 
round  the  plant ;  others  form  circles,  garlands,  and  clusters.  From 
the  centre  of  the  flowers  rises  a  little  pillar,  and  sometimes  several, 
which  are  hollow  within,  and  round  or  pointed  at  the  top:  these  are 
called  pistils,  and  they  are  generally  surrounded  by  lesser  pillars  called 
stamina,  which  support  the  anthers,  containing  a  very  fine  powder, 
which  is  the  farina  or  pollen.  Many  of  the  blossoms  have  a  texture 
of  an  indescribable  delicacy,  with  a  most  exquisite  fragrance,  and 
beautiful  diversity  of  tints. 

To  the  blossoms  succeed  fruit  and  seeds,  which  repair  the  waste  of 
the  seasons,  and  afford  a  very  agreeable  source  of  nourishment ;  they 
enclose  under  one  or  more  skins  or  coats  the  germs  of  future  plants. 
The  external  form  of  seeds  and  fruits  varies  as  much  as  that  of  leaves 
and  flowers. 

All  these  parts  of  plants  have  their  peculiar  use  and  design  ;  if  the 
least  of  them  be  taken  away,  the  plant  loses  a  part  of  its  perfection ; 
either  its  beauty,  growth,  or  increase,  will  suffer.  Thus,  all  these 
several  parts  are  essentially  necessary  for  the  completion  of  the  whole. 
If  a  tree  is  stripped  of  its  leaves,  it  will  soon  become  dry,  decay,  and 


218 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


wither.  TJie  same  thing  will  happen  with  all  other  plants ;  they 
possess  nothing  superfluous,  nothing  that  is  not  useful,  or  that  does  not 
tend  to  the  perfection  of  the  whole. 

When  we  view  this  beautiful  connexion,  harmony,  and  arrange- 
ment, throughout  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  see  that  the  whole  is 
regulated  by  general  laws,  though  differently  applied,  must  we  not 
immediately  and  without  hesitation  acknowledge,  that  the  Author  of 
all  these  beauties  is  a  being  of  a  superior  nature,  enjoying  a  supreme 
power  and  wisdom  1  This  will  be  the  necessary  conclusion  of  every 
one  capable  of  thinking,  and  justly  weighing  causes  and  effects. 
Let  us  then  raise  our  souls  towards  our  heavenly  Creator,  who  is  every 
where  visible  in  his  works,  and  whose  wisdom  shines  in  the  smallest 
blade  of  grass.  He  who  accustoms  himself  to  reflections  of  this  nature 
will  be  more  sensible  of  the  pleasures  of  summer,  and  feel  more  life 
and  joy  from  the  beauteous  objects  it  presents  to  his  view.  The 
more  we  contemplate  the  works  of  nature,  the  more  shall  we  admire 
the  wisdom  of  God ;  and  the  more  we  reverence  his  wisdom,  the 
greater  will  be  the  pleasure  we  shall  derive  from  the  contemplation 
of  natural  objects. 


JUNE  XIX. 

HYMN  OF  THANKSGIVING  FOR  THE  WORKS  OF  NATURE.  ■ 

To  thee,  O  Lord,  from  whom  all  blessings  proceed,  and  who  dis- 
pensest  them  with  a  liberal  hand,  to  thee  belong  glory,  honour,  and 
thanksgiving.  Thou  hearest  the  cries  of  the  young  raven,  and  de- 
lightest  in  the  song  of  the  lark  ;  be  pleased  to  hearken  also  unto  my 
voice,  and  receive  the  praises  of  a  grateful  heart.  The  least  of  thy 
creatures  proclaims  thy  wisdom,  and  the  traces  of  thy  goodness  and 
power  beheld,  from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other,  are  continually 
renewing. 

With  the  tenderness  of  a  father  thou  providest  for  the  wants  of  all 
thy  creatures,  and  givest  them  their  proper  food.  The  returning  sun, 
as  he  daily  illumes  the  eastern  horizon,  witnesses  the  endless  succes- 
sion of  thy  benefits,  showered  down  in  profusion  upon  all  created  na- 
ture.   O  God,  who  is  like  unto  thee  ! 

Teach  me,  O  Lord,  how  to  praise  thee  with  acceptance,  and  incline 
my  heart  to  love  thee,  that  henceforth  I  may  only  live  for  Him  who 
loadeth  me  with  blessings. 

It  is  in  thy  name,  and  in  the  hope  of  thy  blessing,  that  the  hus- 
bandman commits  his  grain  to  the  furrow.  It  is  thou  who  formest 
the  seed,  and  enduest  it  with  fertility.  The  earth,  which  once  was 
cursed  by  the  sins  of  mankind,  blessed  again  by  its  Creator,  now 
brings  forth  an  abundance  of  fruits. 

Thou  causest  the  fertilizing  rains  to  descend  upon  the  furrows  of 
the  field :  thou  clothest  the  meadows,  the  valleys,  and  the  plains, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


219 


"with  flowers,  lierbs,  and  groves:  and  thon  directest  the  cool  and  re- 
freshing dew  to  revive  our  gardens  and  fields,  and  to  shed  npon  tliem 
fertihty  and  abundance. 

The  dry  and  parched  land  thou  waterest  with  beneficent  rains  ;  the 
wet  and  cold  places  thou  warmest  with  the  cheering  rays  of  the  sun  : 
thou  orderest  the  seasons  and  the  weather  with  wisdom,  and  disposest 
them  in  the  manner  most  beneficial  to  mankind ;  and  amidst  every 
vicissitude  of  heat  and  cold,  of  rains  and  drought,  we  still  see  grow, 
flourish,  and  ripen,  the  food  which  thy  goodness  has  destined  for  us. 

Thou  coverest  our  fields  with  rich  harvests,  and  the  wings  of  the 
wind  make  the  yellow  ears  undulate  ;  thou  beautifiest  the  summit  of 
the  dry  rock  with  the  clustering  grape  ;  thou  biddest  the  clover  spring 
up  in  our  pastures,  and  at  thy  desire  the  fountains  and  the  rivulets 
refresh  the  thirsty  animals. 

Thou  causest  the  tree  to  take  root,  and  makest  it  flourish  ;  a  vivi- 
fying sap  circulates  through  the  trunk  and  branches,  and  gives  them 
strength  to  push  forth  leaves  and  blossoms  ;  and  the  fruit,  which  bends 
down  the  branches,  shows  how  much  thou  delightest  in  doing  good. 

Let  us  then  ascribe  all  glory  and  praise  to  our  Creator  and  Bene- 
factor ;  let  us  bless  and  celebrate  his  name  in  songs  of  joy,  and  at- 
tune his  mercy  in  hymns  of  gratitude  :  for  great  is  the  eternal  God, 
holy  and  wonderful  are  all  his  works  ;  he  is  all  pure  and  good,  and 
the  righteous  for  ever  shall  sing  his  praises. 


JUNE  XX. 

CATERPILLARS. 

Caterpillars  form  a  very  beautiful  part  of  the  creation  ;  though 
from  generally  living  upon  our  trees,  they  are  disliked  by  the  cultiva- 
tors of  gardens,  and  are  seldom  considered  as  objects  of  attention  ; 
many  people  indeed  only  notice  them  for  their  destruction.  But  if 
we  investigate  their  nature,  and  observe  them  minutely,  perhaps  we 
shall  find  cause  to  admire  them  ;  and  our  curiosity  being  awakened 
by  their  appearance,  we  may  be  less  disposed  to  trample  under  our 
feet  an  insect  whose  structure  is  so  wonderful,  and  which  will  lead 
the  properly  reflecting  mind  to  consider  the  Creator  of  all  living 
things. 

The  species  of  this  insect  already  known  are  more  than  three  hun- 
dred, and  new  ones  are  daily  discovered,  all  differing  in  colour,  form, 
propensities,  and  modes  of  life ;  but  they  have  in  common  the  annu- 
lar structure,  or  the  being  composed  of  several  rings,  which,  elonga- 
ting and  contracting,  facilitate  the  moving  of  the  body  from  one  part 
to  another.  They  have  two  kinds  of  feet,  each  of  which  has  its 
particular  use.  The  six  fore  feet  form  a  sort  of  hooks,  with  which 
they  cling  to,  or  lay  hold  of,  objects  ;  the  termination  of  the  hinder 
feet  is  broad,  and  armed  with  small  pointed  nails.    With  the  hooks 


220 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


they  draw  up  the  leaves,  grass,  and  other  nourishment ;  and  by  these 
fix  the  fore  part  of  the  body  till  they  have  drawn  up  the  hinder  part. 
The  hinder  feet  they  use  to  hold  themselves  fast,  and  to  grasp  what- 
ever they  rest  upon.  When  upon  a  twig  or  a  leaf  they  can  seize 
another  at  a  considerable  distance  ;  for,  hooking  their  hinder  feet  upon 
whatever  they  rest,  they  elevate  the  fore  part  of  the  body,  standing 
almost  erect,  move  in  all  directions,  poise  themselves  in  the  air,  and 
turn  round,  reach  their  food,  and  hold  it  with  their  hooks.  However 
well  the  body  of  the  caterpillar  is  adapted  to  its  necessities,  its  state  ig 
very  transitory  ;  its  limbs  last  only  a  short  time  ;  and  this  creeping 
worm  soon  becomes  a  chrysalis  without  feet  and  without  motion,  till 
it  becomes  a  winged  inhabitant  of  the  air. 

From  this  circumstance  only,  caterpillars  should  claim  some  share 
of  our  attention.  Towards  the  end  of  summer,  and  frequently  sooner, 
after  being  satiated  with  verdure,  and  having  changed  their  skins  more 
than  once,  they  cease  to  eat,  and  begin  to  construct  a  habitation, 
where  they  leave  the  caterpillar  state,  and  are  transformed  into  butter- 
flies ;  this  place  of  shelter  is  called  the  chrysalis,  and  is  of  an  oval 
form ;  towards  the  extremity  are  rings,  which  continue  diminishing 
till  they  are  lost  in  a  point.  The  chrysalis  is  full  of  milky  fluid,  which 
supplies  the  infant  butterfly  with  nourishment  till  it  comes  out.  When 
it  is  completely  formed,  and  its  parts  have  acquired  a  proper  degree  of 
consistence,  and  a  gentle  warmth  invites  it  forth  from  its  prison,  it 
forces  a  passage  through  the  largest  end,  which  is  at  the  same  time 
the  thinnest  part  of  the  chrysalis.  Its  head,  which  was  always  di- 
rected towards  this  end,  disengages  itself,  the  antennae  project  and 
lengthen,  the  feet  and  wings  extend,  and  the  insect  flies  away,  retain- 
ing nothing  of  its  former  shape  :  the  caterpillar  which  was  changed 
into  a  chrysalis,  and  the  chrysalis  which  became  a  butterfly,  being 
quite  different  creatures.  The  one  is  rough,  hairy,  and  sometimes  of 
a  disagreeable  aspect ;  the  other  is  decked  in  the  most  beautiful  co- 
lours :  the  one  is  doomed  to  crawl  upon  the  earth,  while  the  other 
lightly  skims  from  flower  to  flower,  and  delicately  sips  their  nectare- 
ous  sweets. 

Perhaps  this  description  will  conquer  the  aversion  that  some  people 
have  to  these  insects,  and  reconcile  them  with  their  existence ;  but 
perhaps  there  will  yet  be  many  who  will  ask  for  what  purpose  insects, 
which  devour  the  leaves  and  occasion  the  trees  to  be  blighted,  were 
created  ?  To  such  I  answer  that  they  are  necessary  links  in  the  great 
chain  of  animal  life  ;  and  without  them  the  world  would  be  less  per- 
fect than  it  is.  Destroy  them  entirely,  and  you  would  deprive  the 
birds  of  a  most  plentiful  source  of  nourishment ;  and  surely,  if  birds 
are  destined  to  feed  upon  caterpillars,  whatever  be  our  loss,  we  cannot 
with  justice  exclude  these  insects  from  feeding  upon  leaves.  And 
even  if  we  cannot  comprehend  the  reason  why  God  formed  such 
creatures,  surely  we  ought  not  to  assert  that  they  are  useless ;  we 
should  rather  acknowledge  our  ignorance,  and  bow  before  him  who  is 
all-wise. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


221 


JUNE  XXI. 

BEGINNING  OF  SUMMER. 

On  this  day  summer  begins.  Many  of  us  have  often  seen  the 
changes  which  constantly  take  place  at  this  season  of  the  year ;  but 
have  we  considered  why  the  sun  continues  so  long  above  the  horizon, 
why  this  is  the  longest  day  in  the  year,  and  why,  from  this  time  till 
the  end  of  autumn,  we  perceive  the  heat  and  the  length  of  the  days 
diminish  in  the  same  proportion?  All  these  changes  proceed  from 
the  annual  revolution  of  our  globe  round  the  sun.  When  this  star 
enters  the  tropic  of  Cancer,  the  earth  is  so  situated,  that  the  whole  of 
its  north  pole  is  turned  towards  the  sun  ;  for  the  earth's  axis  is  inclin- 
ed towards  the  north,  and  it  invariably  preserves  this  direction.  On 
this  inclination,  and  the  parallelism  of  the  earth's  axis,  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  seasons  depend.  And  who,  that  considers  the  conse- 
quences which  would  ensue  if  the  direction  of  the  axis  had  been 
perpendicular,  will  withhold  his  admiration  and  gratitude  for  that 
superior  wisdom  which  has  thus  regulated  it  for  the  advantage  of 
man  ? 

Nature  has  now  nearly  finished  her  annual  labour  in  our  climate. 
She  has  already  lost  part  of  her  variety  ;  and  though  nothing  can  be 
more  beautifully  green  than  the  vines,  the  orchard,  and  the  forests, 
the  shades  begin  to  be  less  pleasing ;  the  meadows  whiten,  and  the 
flowers  are  cut  down  ;  the  corn  gradually  grows  yellow,  and  the  rich 
colouring  of  nature  diminishes.  The  diversity  and  brightness  of  this, 
and  the  varied  notes  of  numerous  birds,  had  lately  all  the  charms  of 
novelty,  and  cheered  us  with  their  sweet  variation  :  but  now,  as  au- 
tumn approaches,  these  enjoyments  cease  ;  the  nightingale  is  silent, 
and  walking  is  inconvenient  from  the  excessiv^e  heat. 

From  this  picture  we  may  form  an  emblem  of  life,  the  pleasures 
of  which  are  equally  fugitive  ;  even  the  most  innocent,  such  as  na- 
ture offers  us  during  the  spring,  fade,  and  give  place  to  other  objects; 
and  what  we  now  witness  in  the  smnmer  of  nature,  we  may  observe 
in  the  summer  of  life. 

As  we  advance  in  years,  the  pleasures  which  delight  us  in  our 
youth  no  longer  affect  us  ;  and  when  we  have  attained  the  autumn 
of  our  days,  we  become  subject  to  cares  and  anxieties  to  which  we 
formerly  were  strangers  ;  as  our  age  increases,  our  bodily  powers 
diminish  ;  till  at  length,  after  many  a  weary  day,  the  period  arrives 
when,  feeble  and  exhausted,  we  have  no  longer  a  pleasure  in  exist- 
ence. 

With  what  a  lively  sense  of  joy  may  the  good  man  lift  up  his  soul 
to  thee,  O  Lord !  who  directest  the  seasons,  who  art  the  Father  of  all 
things,  and  the  source  of  all  happiness  !  Let  us  acknowledge  thy 
wisdom  and  thy  goodness  in  causing  the  seasons  to  succeed  each 
other  in  a  regular  order ;  and  may  we  never  forget  thee  when  we 
enjoy  the  blessings  which  summer  scatters  over  the  earth,  and  expe- 


222 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


lience  the  pleasures  which  smile  in  her  train  !  Let  us  reflect  that  this 
may  be  the  last  summer  wliich  we  may  be  permitted  to  see  on  earth  ; 
and  consider  how  soon  we  may  be  called  to  join  the  numerous  friends 
who  have  been  removed  from  this  transitory  scene  since  the  last  sum- 
mer's sun  beamed  light  and  beauty  upon  our  sphere. 


JUNE  XXIL 

THE  NIGHTINGALE. 

The  nightingale  is  one  of  the  sweetest  songsters  aniong  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  groves.  When  all  the  birds  that  cheered  us  during 
the  day  with  their  varied  notes  cease  to  be  heard,  the  song  of  the 
nightingale  swells  upon  the  air,  and  animates  the  groves.  When  we 
rapturously  listen  to  her  voice,  pouring  melody  in  the  w^oodlands,  we 
are  ready  to  conclude  that  the  bird  from  wiiich  such  sounds  proceed 
must  be  large,  and  possess  a  throat  of  uncommon  strength  ;  and  her 
sweet  accents  make  us  presume  that,  as  she  excels  in  harmony,  so 
she  surpasses  the  feathered  race  in  beauty.*  But  we  shall  look  in 
vain  for  these  perfections  in  the  nightingale  ;  which  is  a  bird  of  rather 
a  mean  appearance,  having  nothing  particularly  attractive  either  in 
form  or  plumage  ;  yet  it  is  gifted  by  nature  with,  a  voice  that  fills  us 
with  ecstacy,  and  pours  rapture  through  all  our  frame.  How  exqui- 
site is  our  delight  when  we  listen  to  her  long  quivering  notes,  and 
hear  her  sweet  variations,  now  gently  warbling,  then  gi-adually  swell- 
ing into  inconceivable  force  and  rapidity ;  alternating  plaintive  ac- 
cents that  sooth  the  soul  to  melancholy,  with  gay  airs  that  raise  it 
upon  lightsome  wings  to  joy  and  pleasure  :  she  rapidly  passes  from 
the  simplest  notes  to  the  wildest  carols,  from  the  lightest  turns  and 
quavers  to  slow  melting  strains  that  languish  upon  the  breeze,  then 
softly  die  away,  and  leave  the  night-wanderer  silently  to  retrace  his 
liomeAvard  steps. 

This  bird  may  give  rise  to  many  useful  reflections  ;  from  it  w^e  may 
learn  a  very  wholesome  truth,  that  plainness  of  person  does  not  ex- 
clude beauty  of  soul,  but  may  be  allied  to  the  most  estimable  quali- 
ties. How  absurdly  and  erroneously  do  those  people  judge,  w'ho, 
fascinated  by  a  regular  contour  of  face,  beautiful  countenance,  and 
elegant  proportion  of  limb,  only  bestow  their  approbation  upon  what 
pleases  their  senses,  and  despise  or  disregard  such  as  labour  under 
bodily  infirmities,  or  are  not  gifted  by  nature  with  the  graces  of  per- 

*  As  to  the  idea  of  connecting  beauty  with  melody  in  a  bird,  unless  the  author  means 
that  the  bird  wliich  utters  strains  like  those  of  the  nightingale  cannot  be  otherwise  than 
beautiful,  I  believe  it  is  not  always  the  case  ;  for  those  birds  which  have  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  brilliant  plumage  have  often  the  most  harsh  and  unpleasing  notes  ;  witness 
parrots,  parroquets,  peacocks,  and  a  variety  of  others  ;  and  so  far  from  our  imagining 
the  bird  that  enchants  us  with  melodious  strains  to  be  large  in  size,  we  know  of  scarcely 
any  large  bird  which  has  very  sweet  notes  :  if  so,  whence  is  the  association  of  greatness 
of  bulk  and  melody  of  voice  ! — E. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


223 


son.  Let  us  learn  to  judge  with  more  equity,  and  to  discriminate 
witL  more  attention  ;  for  it  is  not  alone  symmetry  of  limb,  elegance 
of  form,  or  advantages  of  fortune  and  rank,  that  emioble  a  man,  and 
render  him  worthy  of  esteem  ;  it  is  the  superior  perfection  of  his 
soul,  and  the  finer  feelings  of  his  heart,  whicli  can  alone  exalt  his 
nature,  and  place  one  man  higher  than  another  in  the  great  chain  of 
beings.  Those  who  are  incapable  of  virtue,  and  destitute  of  reason, 
will  necessarily  be  deluded  by  the  false  colouring  of  external  appear- 
ance, and,  unable  to  penetrate  beneath  the  surface,  will  be  dazzled 
by  the  empty  parade  of  riches,  and  misled  by  the  ostentatious  display 
of  splendid  insignificance.  But  have  we  not  seen  men  on  whose 
humble  birth  fortune  never  smiled,  nor  honours  distinguished,  raise 
unto  themselves  eternal  monuments  of  fame  and  glory  1  And  have 
we  not  known  men,  whose  bodies  were  formed  in  nature's  coarsest 
mould,  show  a  magnanimity  of  soul  and  a  greatness  of  mind  that 
will  ever  endear  them  to  our  bosoms  and  entwine  them  round  our 
hearts  1  Let  us  then  not  easily  trust  an  opinion  hastily  formed,  and 
founded  only  upon  external  appearance  ;  for  often  those  whom  we 
have  presumed  to  despise  are  superior  to  ourselves,  and  deserving  of 
our  warmest  admiration  and  regard. 

When  we  listen  to  tlie  sound  of  the  nightingale,  let  us  remember 
who  gave  it  such  pleasing  powers  ;  and  let  us  consider  the  wisdom 
of  a  structure  which  enables  it  to  produce  such  sweet  sounds.  A 
viscus  so  delicate  as  the  lungs  of  this  little  bird,  whose  exertions  are 
so  violent,  would  be  very  liable  to  receive  injuries,  if  it  did  not  possess 
the  singular  advantage  of  being  attached  to  the  vertebrae  of  the  back 
by  a  number  of  little  fibres.  The  opening  of  the  windpipe  is  very 
wide,  and  this  very  probably  contributes  to  its  great  diversity  of  notes. 

Sweet  songster  !  I  will  not  leave  thee  till  I  have  learned  of  thee  to 
celebrate  our  mutual  Creator ;  and  may  thou  pour,  with  thy  wild 
warbling  strains,  joy  and  gratitude  into  the  hearts  of  all  who  in  these 
lovely  evenings  are  revelling  in  the  sweets  of  summer  unconscious  of 
their  Maker  ! 


JUNE  XXIIL 

THE  PLEASURES  WHICH  SUMMER  OFFERS  TO  OUR  SENSES. 

Summer  has  inexpressible  charms,  and  daily  gives  us  proofs  of  the 
infinite  beneficence  of  God.  It  is  the  happy  season  in  which  he  most 
abundantly  pours  forth  his  blessings  upon  every  living  creature.  Na- 
ture, after  having  refreshed  us  with  the  pleasures  of  spring,  is  conti- 
nually at  work  during  the  summer,  to  procure  us  every  thing  that  can 
gratify  the  senses,  make  our  subsistence  comfortable,  relieve  our  ne- 
cessities, and  aw^ake  in  our  hearts  sentiments  of  gratitude. 

We  see  all  around  us,  in  the  fields  and  in  the  gardens,  fruits,  which, 
after  having  delighted  us  with  their  beauty  and  gratified  our  taste 


224 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONb. 


with  their  sweets,  may  be  collected  and  preserved  for  our  future  con- 
venience. The  flowers  present  us  with  the  most  agreeable  variety  ; 
we  admire  their  rich  colours,  and  rejoice  at  the  inexhaustible  fecun- 
dity of  nature,  in  their  multiplied  species.  What  a  beautiful  variety 
is  displayed  in  plants,  from  the  lowly  sprig  of  moss  to  tlie  majestic 
oak?  Our  eye  glances  from  flower  to  flower  ;  and  whether  we  climb 
the  steep  mountain,  descend  into  the  valley,  or  seek  the  friendly 
shade  of  the  woods,  we  every  where  find  new  beauties,  all  differing 
from  one  another,  but  each  possessing  charms  suflficient  to  engae^e  our 
attention.  There  we  see  innumerable  flowers  diffiising  their  sweet- 
ness to  the  air,  that  softly  kisses  their  blushing  leaves  ;  and  here  va- 
rious creatures  sporting  wild,  free  from  care.  We  look  up,  and  a  clear 
blue  sky  presents  itself ;  beneath  the  fresh  verdure  smiles  :  our  ear  is 
ravished  with  the  tuneful  notes  of  the  winged  songsters  ;  their  various 
and  simple  melody  wraps  our  souls  in  joy,  and  sweet  sensations  fill 
our  bosoms.  The  soft  murmuring  of  the  distant  brook,  and  the  sil- 
ver waves  of  a  clear  smooth  stream  gently  ghding  beneath  the  over- 
hanging willows,  lull  our  souls  to  ease,  and  nought  but  love  and 
pleasure  dwells  in  our  unrufl3ed  breast. 

Thirsty  and  fatigued,  the  modest  strawberry  offers  us  sweet  refresh- 
ment ;  the  gardens  and  fields  fill  our  granaries  with  their  fruits,  and 
supply  us  with  the  most  agreeable  sustenance.  The  smell  is  grati- 
fied with  the  fragrance  that  every  where  perfumes  the  air  ;  and  thou- 
sands of  charming  objects  delight  our  senses,  and  call  forth  our  sen- 
sibility. Numerous  flocks  and  herds  feed  upon  the  bountiful  profu- 
sion of  nature,  and  furnish  us  with  milk  and  nourishing  aliment. 
Abundant  showers  fall  to  refresh  the  earth,  and  open  to  us  new 
sources  of  blessings  ;  smiling  groves  and  tufted  trees  kindly  shelter 
us  from  the  sun's  fervid  beams  ;  and  every  thing  around  us  increases 
our  pleasures  and  adds  to  our  felicity.  If  the  senses  derive  gratifica- 
tion from  these  luxuriant  scenes,  the  mind  is  not  less  dehghted.  It 
discovers  beauty,  harmony,  variety ;  and  in  every  object  traces  the 
all-creating  hand,  the  spring  of  life,  and  the  source  of  all  good.  Yes, 
admirable  Being  !  we  see  thee  in  every  creature  :  if  we  contemplate 
the  Heavens,  the  Sun,  the  Moon,  and  each  Star  inform  us  that  thou 
hast  made  them ;  all  that  we  perceive  through  the  medium  of  our 
senses  leads  us  to  thee,  and  thus  our  sensations  become  dignified  and 
exalted,  whilst  our  thoughts  soar  upward,  and  are  lost  in  thy  infi- 
nitude. 


JUNE  XXIV. 

SKETCH  OF  THE  INTERNAL  PARTS   OF  THE  HUMAN  BODY. 

The  more  diflScult  it  is  to  acquire  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  inter- 
nal parts  of  the  human  body,  the  more  necessary  it  is  to  profit  by  the 
labours  of  skilful  anatomists.    With  the  view  of  facilitating  the  know- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


225 


ledge  of  those  parts,  I  shall  here  present  the  reader  with  a  short  de- 
scription of  them.  The  structure  of  the  heart,  the  great  spring  of  life 
and  motion,  first  merits  our  attention.  This  viscus,  situated  in  the 
chest,  is  composed  of  muscular  fibres,  curiously  interwoven  ;  two  ca- 
vities, called  ventricles,  separated  from  each  other  by  a  partition,  form 
the  interior  of  this  organ.  Contiguous  to  the  heart,  within  the  chest, 
are  the  lungs,  which  alternately  open  and  shut,  when  they  receive  or 
expel  the  air,  something  after  the  manner  of  a  pair  of  bellows  ;  they 
nearly  fill  the  whole  cavity  of  the  chest,  which  is  lined  with  a  very 
fine  membrane  called  the  pleura. 

The  abdomen  is  separated  from  the  chest  by  a  muscle  called  dia- 
phragm, and  contains  several  viscera,  the  most  important  of  which  is 
the  stomach,  a  membranous  bag,  which  receives  and  digests  the 
food.  To  the  right  of  the  stomach  is  the  liver,  which  secretes  bile 
from  the  blood,  a  part  of  which  is  received  into  a  little  bag  attached 
to  the  liver,  and  called  the  gall-bladder  ;  it  is  conveyed  from  thence 
into  the  intestines,  and  stimulates  them  to  action.  On  the  opposite 
side,  and  near  the  stomach,  is  situated  the  spleen,  a  spongy  viscus  of 
an  oval  figure,  the  use  of  which  is  not  rightly  understood.  Beneath 
the  liver  on  one  side,  and  the  spleen  on  the  other,  are  the  kidneys, 
which  secrete  from  the  blood  an  aqueous  fluid,  afterward  conveyed 
to  the  bladder  by  two  excretory  ducts  called  ureters.  In  the  lower 
parts  of  the  abdomen  are  situated  the  intestines,  a  long  membranous 
tube  divided  into  small  and  large.  In  the  small  part,  the  alimentary 
matter  which  has  passed  through  the  stomach  is  converted  into  chyle, 
and  the  portion  that  remains  unfit  for  nourishment  is  expelled  by  the 
lower  and  larger  division  of  the  tube.  The  intestines  are  connected 
with  the  mesentery,  a  membranous  duplicature,  which  contains  nu- 
merous fine  vessels,  called  the  lacteals,  as  they  contain  the  chyle  or 
milky  fluid  separated  from  the  food.  There  are  also  numerous  glands 
in  this  organ,  called  mesenteric  glands  ;  the  lacteals  enter  these,  and 
from  thence  proceed  to  the  thoracic  duct,  or  the  tube  which  conveys 
the  chyle  into  the  blood.  The  whole  internal  surface  of  the  abdomen 
is  lined  with  a  membrane  called  peritoneum,  which  covers  all  the 
viscera ;  and  a  fatty  production  of  which,  called  omentum,  hes  on 
the  superior  surface  of  the  intestines. 

These  are  the  principal  viscera  in  the  abdomen  and  chest ;  but  there 
are  several  others  connected  with  them.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
neck  is  the  oesophagus  and  the  trachea.  The  ossophagus  is  the  tube 
through  which  the  food  passes  from  the  mouth  into  the  stomach,  and 
the  trachea  is  the  tube  through  which  the  air  passes  into  the  lungs ; 
a  small  valve  at  its  superior  orifice,  whilst  it  admits  the  passage  of  air, 
prevents  that  of  any  other  fluid  or  substance,  which,  by  its  irritation 
in  the  lungs  and  air  vessels,  would  be  the  occasion  of  fatal  conse- 
quences. There  is  a  valve  also  placed  in  that  orifice  of  the  stomach 
which  enters  the  intestines ;  it  opens  to  suffer  the  food  to  pass,  but 
prevents  its  returning. 

Within  the  cranium  or  skull  is  situated  the  brain,  enveloped  in  a 
very  fine  membrane  full  of  blood-vessels,  and  called  pia  mater ;  a 

2D 


226 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


second  membrane,  much  thicker  and  stronger,  adheres  to  the  internal 
surface  of  the  cranium ;  and  between  these  is  a  third  membrane,  so 
very  dehcate  and  transparent,  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible.  Besides 
these  parts,  each  of  which  has  a  determinate  place,  there  are  others 
which  are  dispersed  over  the  whole  body,  such  as  bones,  arteries, 
veins,  lymphatic  vessels,  muscles,  and  nerves.  The  bones  are  united 
together  by  joints,  and  serve  to  support  the  body,  to  render  it  capable 
of  motion,  and  to  preserve  and  protect  the  softer  parts.  Veins  and 
arteries  circulate  the  life-sustaining  blood  throughout  the  body.  The 
nerves,  of  which  ten  principal  pair  are  enumerated,  are  small  white 
cords ;  they  proceed  from  the  brain,  are  distributed  to  every  part  of 
the  body,  and  are  the  organs  of  sensation  and  motion.  The  whole 
body  is  full  of  pores,  so  small  as  to  be  imperceptible  to  the  naked 
eye  ;  and  through  these  is  continually  exuding  a  subtile  matter  called 
the  insensible  perspiration.  No  less  wisdom  is  manifested  in  the  fluid 
than  in  the  solid  parts  of  the  body.  The  blood,  chyle,  lymph,  bile, 
marrow,  and  the  different  kinds  of  viscous  and  glutinous  humours  se- 
creted by  various  glands  ;  their  different  properties,  their  destination, 
effects,  and  the  manner  in  w^hich  they  are  separated  and  prepared ; 
their  circulation  and  renovation ;  all  bespeak  the  most  astonishing 
art  and  the  profoundest  wisdom. 

Let  us  now  recapitulate  all  the  excellencies  of  our  structure.  The 
bones,  by  their  solidity  and  their  joints,  form  the  foundation  of  this 
beautiful  superstructure  ;  the  ligaments  are  tendinous  cords,  which 
unite  different  parts  together  ;  the  muscles  are  fleshy  substances, 
which  perform  their  functions  like  elastic  springs  ;  the  nerves,  which 
extend  to  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  body,  communicate  the  power 
of  sensation,  and  enable  the  different  organs  to  perform  their  func- 
tions ;  whilst  the  arteries  and  veins,  like  inexhaustible  rivLilets,  pour 
the  life  streams  to  every  part.  The  centre  of  circulation  is  the  heart, 
from  and  to  which  all  the  blood  proceeds  ;  and  respiration  is  perform- 
ed by  means  of  the  lungs.  The  stomach  and  intestines  are  the 
organs  where  the  food  undergoes  those  changes  which  are  necessary 
for  the  support  of  life.  The  brain  is  the  common  centre  from  which 
the  nerves  proceed  to  communicate  sensation  to  the  body,  and  enable 
the  senses  to  receive  the  impressions  which  they  convey  to  the  soul. 

Adorable  Creator  !  how  wonderfully  hast  thou  formed  us  1  Though 
the  heavens,  which  so  magnificently  display  thy  glory,  were  not  to 
exist,  though  I  was  the  only  being  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  the  ad- 
mirable structure  of  my  body  alone  would  suflfice  to  assure  me  of  the 
immensity  of  thy  power,  and  convince  me  of  thy  immeasurable  wis- 
dom !  Let  us,  then,  as  often  as  we  meditate  upon  this  w^onderful  or- 
ganization of  our  bodies,  praise  Him  who  has  so  formed  us,  and  offer 
up  our  thanksgiving  for  his  manifest  goodness. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


227 


JUNE  XXV. 

ELECTRICITF. 

From  the  numerous  experiments  which  have  been  made  upon  the 
subject  of  electricity,  no  one  can  doubt  the  existence  of  a  matter 
which,  from  its  singular  effects,  has  excited  the  attention  of  Europe 
for  more  than  half  a  century.  It  appears  that  this  fluid  is  equally 
diffused  through  all  bodies,  but  is  so  extremely  subtile  that  we  can- 
not perceive  it,  and  we  only  know  it  to  be  present  from  the  effects  it 
produces  :  when  put  in  motion  it  rushes  from  one  part  to  another  to 
restore  the  interrupted  equilibrium.  It  is  necessary  to  distinguish  two 
kinds  of  electric  bodies  ;  those  in  which  the  electric  fluid  may  be  ex- 
cited by  means  of  friction,  and  those  which  receive  their  electric 
power  by  communication  with  the  former.  The  principal  substances 
which  compose  the  first  class  are  glass,  pitch,  resin,  sealing-wax,  hair, 
silks,  and  air  ;  to  the  second  class  belong  water,  metals,  &c.  Bodies 
of  the  first  kind  may  be  made  capable  of  preserving  the  electric  mat- 
ter collected  in  them,  whilst  those  of  the  second  class  lose  it  as  soon 
as  they  receive  it.*  Machines  have  been  invented,  in  w^hich,  by 
means  of  a  wheel,  a  rapid  rotation  is  given  to  a  glass  globe,  or  cylin- 
der, upon  which  is  placed  a  cushion  of  silk,  against  which,  whilst 
w^hirling  round,  it  rubs.  By  this  friction  the  globe  preserves  its  elec- 
tric virtue,  which  may  be  extended  to  any  distance  by  means  of  me- 
taUic  bars,  or  chains  which  communicate  with  the  glass.  If,  while 
the  machine  is  working,  we  touch  the  chain,  we  immediately  receive 
a  shock  ;  and,  if  the  room  is  darkened,  a  luminous  spark  will  be  per- 
ceived. Let  any  number  of  persons  join  hands  and  form  a  circle, 
and  by  means  of  the  chain  make  a  communication  with  the  machine  ; 
and  they  will  all  receive  a  shock  at  the  same  time,  w^hich  may  be 
made  more  or  less  violent.  The  electric  fluid  may  be  accumulated 
to  such  a  degree  as  to  kill  by  its  discharge  the  largest  animals. 

This  experiment  is  performed  with  several  glass  jars  nearly  filled 
with  water,  and  which,  connected  together  by  chains,  communicate 
with  the  glass  globe  before  described.  The  water  communicates  to 
the  internal  surface  of  the  jars  a  great  quantity  of  electric  matter, 
their  external  surface  at  the  same  time  losing  an  equal  quantity  by 
means  of  its  communication  with  some  conducting  body.  A  vivid 
flash,  loud  explosion,  and  a  violent  agitation,  ignition  of  combustible 
matter,  and  the  death  of  the  subject  of  the  experiment,  are  the  con- 
sequences of  this  experiment. 

*  Those  substances  mentioned  in  the  first  class,  to  which  may  be  added  diamonds, 
balsamic  and  bituminous  bodies,  as  amber,  sulphur,  &c.  the  coverings  of  animals,  as 
feathers,  wool,  bristles,  silk,  vitrified  bodies,  and  all  substances  that,  when  rubbed,  at- 
tract light  bodies  ,  are  called  electrics  or  non-conductors.  Those  on  the  contrary  in 
which,  when  friction  is  employed,  the  electric  fluid  is  not  excited  or  put  in  motion,  are 
called  conductors  or  non-electrics  ;  and  they  consist  chiefly  of  metals,  minerals,  aqueous 
and  spirituous  liquids,  living  creatures,  and  animal  and  vegetable  substances,  as  trees, 
plants,  bones,  shells,  &c. 


228 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


There  are  other  effects  which  are  common  to  all  experiments  of 
this  kind  ;  such  as  a  sulphureous  smell,  an  agitation  in  the  air,  a 
sudden  flash,  and  the  electric  matter  acquiring  anew  property.  Some 
experiments  have  failed  because  the  metallic  rods  which  served  as 
conductors  were  too  angular  and  pointed.  It  has  been  suspected  that 
the  electric  fluid  in  such  cases  was  dissipated  by  means  of  the  points  ; 
and  this  was  confirmed  when,  on  approaching  the  face  or  hand  to  the 
point  of  the  rod,  a  copious  stream  of  electric  fluid  emanated  from 
them  ;  it  was  also  conjectured,  that  these  points,  which  throw  off  the 
electric  fluid,  might  attract  it,  and  a  number  of  experiments  have 
since  established  it  as  a  truth. 

Electricity  has  been  appHed  by  physicians  in  many  complaints  with 
great  success  ;  and  a  still  greater  advantage  which  we  derive  from 
its  investigation  is  the  analogy  which  naturalists  have  discovered  be- 
tween electricity  and  lightning,  which  has  given  rise  to  new  conjec- 
tures upon  the  nature  of  thunder  ;  and  has  taught  us  to  secure  our 
buildings,  by  means  of  metallic  rods,  from  the  destruction  they  often 
suffer  during  a  storm. 

Thus  we  are  continually  receiving  new  solutions  of  the  mysteries 
contained  in  the  great  works  of  nature  ;  and  from  the  success  of 
these  investigations  we  should  be  excited  to  more  industry,  and  to 
pay  greater  attention  to  the  works  of  the  creation  daily  offered  to  our 
view. 


JUNE  XXVI. 

MANNER  IN  WHICH  THUNDER  IS  FORMED. 

Formerly,  and  even  to  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  it 
was  commonly  supposed  that  thunder  was  occasioned  by  the  agita- 
tion of  saline,  sulphureous,  and  other  substances  contained  in  the  air. 
It  was  imagined  that  there  was  the  greatest  resemblance  between  the 
effect  of  fire-arms  and  that  of  thunder  and  lightning.  But  all  the 
means  by  which  men  endeavoured  to  explain  and  estabhsh  this  sys- 
tem were  not  suflScient  to  do  away  the  difficulties  that  presented  them- 
selves, nor  to  account  for  the  fact.  Since  that  period,  however,  the 
phenomena  produced  by  the  electric  fluid  have  been  more  attentively 
observed,  and  a  very  different  cause  has  been  assigned  to  the  forrna- 
tion  of  thunder.  The  great  resemblance  between  it  and  electricity 
has  convinced  naturalists  that  they  are  produced  by  the  same  causes, 
and  that  electricity  is  in  our  hands  what  thunder  is  in  nature.  It 
will  not  be  diflftcult  to  demonstrate  this,  even  to  those  who  are  igno- 
rant of  natural  philosophy,  if  they  will  only  take  the  trouble  to  com- 
pare the  effects  of  thunder  with  those  of  electricity. 

The  effects  of  thunder  are  known  by  peals  heard  at  a  greater  or 
less  distance,  and  by  flashes  of  fire  ;  buildings  struck  by  it  are  often 
consumed  by  flames ;  men  exposed  to  it  become  black,  and  appear 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


229 


scorched,  though  there  is  sometimes  no  trace  of  fire,  the  violence  of 
the  stroke  having  killed  them  :  their  clothes  are  torn,  they  are  thrown 
to  some  distance  from  the  place  in  which  they  were,  and  frequently 
the  part  of  the  body  which  was  struck  is  pierced  with  holes.  Some- 
times large  stones  are  broken  by  the  thunder,  and  its  ravages  are 
easily  discoverable  on  the  ground  where  it  strikes. 

Electricity  presents  us  with  similar  effects,  but  in  a  less  degree. 
When  by  means  of  water  its  force  is  increased,  the  electric  flash  is 
followed  by  a  very  evident  commotion  :  the  most  compact  bodies  are 
perforated,  birds  and  other  small  animals  are  deprived  of  life,  and  each 
flash  is  succeeded  by  a  report.  The  stream  of  fire  also,  which  passes 
from  the  points  of  electrified  bodies  with  a  hissing  noise,  is  one  of  the 
phenomena  observable  in  lightning ;  and  with  respect  to  velocity, 
there  is  still  greater  resemblance  between  thunder  and  electricity.  If 
during  a  storm  a  sword  or  chain  is  suspended  in  the  air  by  silken 
strings,  they  become  electrified  ;  and  if  the  finger  is  advanced  near 
them,  sparks  proceed  from  them  with  more  or  less  force  and  brilliancy, 
according  to  the  violence  of  the  storm,  and  the  distance  of  the  elec- 
tric cloud ;  in  short,  every  eflfect  of  electricity  is  produced  during  a 
thunder-storm.  From  all  these  circumstances,  we  can  no  longer 
doubt  that  the  air  during  a  storm  is  highly  electric,  and  that  thunder 
and  lightning  are  merely  the  eflfects  of  a  violent  electric  fire.* 

Thus  all  that  appears  supernatural  in  these  phenomena,  and  the 
terror  that  they  consequently  excite,  will  be  done  away  as  we  become 
better  acquainted  with  the  laws  of  nature.  This  should  induce  every 
one  to  acquire  at  least  the  first  principles  of  natural  philosophy.  We 
should  then  no  longer  see  fear  and  superstition  enervate  the  mind,  and 
paralyze  our  exertions  in  the  investigation  of  nature.  Let  us  employ 
the  little  light  we  have  to  dispel  the  fear  which  troubles  us  at  the 
approach  of  a  thunder-storm ;  and,  amid  the  lightning's  flash  and 
the  roaring  of  the  tempests,  we  shall  regard  with  a  tranquil  bosom 
the  God  of  all,  who  '  rides  in  the  whirlwind  and  directs  the  storm.' 
For  however  we  may  be  able  to  assign  the  causes  of  thunder  upon 
just  and  invariable  principles,  drawn  from  natural  philosophy,  the 
phenomena  are  not  less  remarkable,  and  present  some  circumstances 
which  are  inexplicable,  even  to  the  most  enlightened  mind.  It  is  suf- 
ficient for  us  to  know  that  the  nature  of  the  air,  and  the  peculiar  pro- 
perties of  the  surrounding  atmosphere,  render  this  phenomenon 
necessary  :  that  these  storms  are  essential  to  the  fertihty  of  the  earth, 
and  should  therefore  excite  us  to  render  our  tribute  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving  to  the  all-bountiful  Creator. 

*  Lightning,  then,  is  nothing  more  than  the  electric  fluid  contained  in  the  clouds 
passing  into  other  bodies,  and  thus  interrupting  the  equilibrium,  and  producing  concus- 
sions in  the  air,  or  that  noise  which  we  call  thunder ;  and  the  reason  that  Ughtning  is 
seen  before  the  thunder  is  heard,  is  that  light  travels  with  a  velocity  inconceivably  greater 
than  sound. — E. 


20 


230 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JUNE  XXVII. 

HERRINGS. 

In  this  season  of  the  year  the  herring-fishery  begins  on  the  coasts 
of  England  and  Scotland ;  by  which  we  shall  soon  receive  a  great 
abundance  of  fish,  which  supply  the  inhabitants  with  food  during  a 
considerable  part  of  the  year.  Let  us  examine  what  is  most  import- 
ant in  the  natural  history  of  these  fish. 

An  innumerable  multitude  of  herrings  live  in  the  Icy  sea,  near  the 
arctic  pole ;  at  a  certain  time  they  quit  this  abode,  and  arrive  in 
shoals  upon  the  coasts  of  England  and  Holland.  The  cause  of  this 
emigration  is  not  3^et  ascertained  :  some  suppose  it  is  to  escape  from 
the  whale,  and  other  great  fish  of  the  Icy  sea ;  others  imagine  that 
the  prodigious  multiplication  of  herrings  is  the  cause  of  their  taking 
these  long  voyages;  that  finding  themselves  too  numerous  under  the 
northern  ice,  they  are  obliged  to  detach  colonies  to  other  places,  that 
they  may  have  a  sufficiency  of  food  for  their  support.  Perhaps  it  is 
the  desire  of  propagating  their  species,  and  a  particular  instinct,  which 
leads  them  to  places  more  favourable  for  their  increase  and  preser- 
vation. 

Whatever  cause  influences  their  motions,  it  is  certain  that  immense 
shoals  of  herrings  proceed  from  the  north  in  the  beginning  of  the 
year  ;  for  as  early  as  the  month  of  March  the  western  wing  of  this 
aquatic  army  reaches  the  coasts  of  Iceland ;  they  are  there  so  ex- 
tremely numerous,  that  upon  plunging  the  bucket,  with  which  they 
water  the  sails  of  the  vessel,  into  the  sea,  they  draw  up  great  num- 
bers of  these  fish.  The  eastern  wing  advances  farther  into  the  Bal- 
tic sea ;  one  part  of  it  stretches  towards  the  North  Cape,  descends  to 
the  coast  of  Norway,  and  then  enters  the  Baltic  through  the  Sound. 
Another  division  steers  for  the  northern  point  of  Jutland  ;  and  after- 
wards enters  into  the  Zuyder-zee,  and  passes  thence  into  the  Baltic,  to 
return  to  its  former  station.  The  most  numerous  detachment  of  the 
eastern  wing  proceeds  to  the  western  coasts,  and  arrives  at  the  Ork- 
ney islands,  where  the  Dutch  go  to  catch  them.  About  the  eighth 
of  June  the  sea  is  there  filled  with  them  ;  they  afterwards  shape  their 
course  towards  England  and  the  coasts  of  Scotland,  and  fill  all  the 
bays  and  harbours  with  their  fry.  They  then  disappear,  and  those 
which  have  escaped  the  nets  of  the  fishermen,  and  the  numerous 
large  fish  which  prey  upon  them,  most  probably  return  northward  to 
the  place  from  whence  they  emigrated. 

A  single  herring  deposits  at  least  ten  thousand  eggs  in  the  sea  upon 
the  British  coast,  and  this  great  fruitfulness  of  a  single  fish,  among 
so  many  millions,  makes  what  is  reported  of  the  Dutch  fishery  credi- 
ble ;  they  are  said  to  take  annually  about  two  hundred  millions  of 
herrings,  by  which  a  great  number  of  people  are  supported,  and  more 
than  twenty  millions  of  crowns  added  to  the  Dutch  revenue. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


231 


JUNE  XXVIII. 

ECLIPSES  OF  THE  SUN  AND  MOON. 

In  this  enlightened  age,  it  is  highly  indecorous  for  any  one  to  be 
ignorant  of  the  phenomena  of  an  edipse.  From  a  want  of  this 
knowledge  have  proceeded  the  superstitious  fears  which  so  often  agi- 
tate the  minds  of  the  ignorant  during  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  or  moon  ; 
while,  if  the  cause  was  understood,  the  folly  of  shutting  up  wells  at 
such  a  tifne,  for  fear  the  water  should  acquire  a  noxious  quality,  and 
the  absurdity  of  using  other  precautions,  would  be  manifest :  what- 
ever men  do  under  the  influence  of  superstition  is  a  strong  proof  of 
their  ignorance  and  impiety.  Let  us,  then,  inquire  into  the  true  cause 
of  such  astonishing  effects  ;  our  thirst  for  knowledge  will  be  gratified, 
and  we  shall  find  fresh  occasion  to  glorify  our  great  Creator. 

An  eclipse  of  the  sun  is  a  natural  effect  caused  by  the  shadow  of 
the  moon  projected  on  the  earth.  But  this  can  only  take  place  when 
the  moon,  which  is  an  opaque  body,  is  nearly  in  a  direct  line  between 
the  sun  and  the  earth  ;  in  this  case  the  moon,  either  partially  or  en- 
tirely, intercepts  our  view  of  the  sun  ;  the  one  is  called  a  total,  the 
other  a  partial,  eclipse.  Thus  the  solar  eclipse  is  nothing  more  than 
the  situation  in  which  the  earth  is  placed  when  the  shadow  of  the 
moon  falls  upon  it,  and  consequently,  properly  speaking,  it  is  only  an 
eclipse  of  that  part  of  the  earth  where  the  moon's  shadow  falls. 

Hence  we  learn  that  the  sun  is  not  really  darkened,  but  is  only  for 
a  short  space  concealed  from  us  by  the  intervention  of  another  body, 
whilst  he  still  blazes  in  all  his  splendour  ;  and  the  only  change  that 
takes  place  is,  that  the  rays  emanating  from  him  cannot  reach  the 
earth,  because  the  moon  intercepts  their  progress.  Hence  also  a  solar 
eclipse  is  never  visible  at  the  same  time  from  every  part  of  the  earth  : 
for  the  eclipse  could  not  be  perceptible  from  all  places  in  the  hemi- 
sphere at  the  same  time,  unless  the  sun  had  effectively  lost  all  his 
light ;  on  the  contrary,  it  appears  greater  in  some  countries  than  in 
others  ;  and  there  are  countries  where  it  is  not  visible  at  all. 

The  moon  not  only  at  times  darkens  the  earth,  but  the  earth  also 
casts  its  shadow  upon  the  moon,  and  thus  partially  or  totally  inter- 
cepts the  rays  of  the  sun,  by  which  an  eclipse  of  the  moon  is  occa- 
sioned. This  can  only  happen  when  the  moon  is  on  one  side  of  the 
earth  and  the  sun  on  the  opposite  side,  consequently,  at  the  time 
when  the  moon  is  at  the  full ;  and  as  this  planet  is  really  obscured 
by  the  earth's  shadow,  the  eclipse  may  be  perceived  at  the  same  time 
from  every  part  of  one  hemisphere  of  our  globe. 

Should  it  be  asked.  Of  what  use  are  the  lunar  and  solar  eclipses  1 
I  would  ansAver,  to  those  who  do  not  measure  the  utility  of  natui'al 
things  merely  by  their  sensible  benefits,  they  are  of  very  great  use. 
By  their  means  we  determine  the  true  position  and  distance  of  towns 
and  countries,  and  trace  with  exactness  maps  of  the  most  remote  re- 
gions ;  they  also  tend  to  confirm  chronology,  and  direct  the  naviga- 


232 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


tor,  by  informing  him  how  far  he  is  distant  from  the  east  or  from  the 
west.  Unimportant  as  these  advantages  may  appear  to  some,  they 
are  of  the  greatest  utility,  and  contribute  in  part  to  the  happiness  of 
mankind. 

Whenever  we  witness  an  ecHpse  of  the  sun  or  moon,  let  us  reflect 
upon  the  awful  events  which  will  take  place  on  the  last  day.  What 
terror  will  seize  the  hearts  of  men  when  they  shall  see  the  sun  dark- 
ened, and  the  moon  lose  her  light;  when  the  elements  shall  melt  with 
fervent  heat,  and  the  heavens  pass  away  with  fearful  sound,  as  of  the 
rushing  of  mighty  waters  !  May  we  then  be  found  fit  to  dwell  in 
that  glorious  habitation,  where  the  sun  and  the  moon  shall  no  longer 
be  necessary ! 


JUNE  XXIX.  ^ 

THE  STALK  OF  WHEAT. 

We  see  the  young  corn  daily  springing  up,  and  the  tender  ears 
ripening  insensibly,  till  in  a  few  weeks  they  will  afford  us  nourishing 
bread,  a  blessing  which  the  bountiful  hand  of  Nature  has  bestowed 
upon  the  labours  of  man.  Let  us  for  a  while  cast  our  eyes  over  a  field 
of  wheat,  and  endeavour  to  enumerate  the  millions  of  ears  which 
wave  over  the  surface  ;  and  then  let  us  reflect  upon  the  wisdom  of 
those  laws  which  cause  such  abundance  to  bless  the  earth.  What 
preparations  are  necessary  to  procure  us  nourishment  so  useful  and 
sweet ;  and  what  changes  must  take  place  before  the  ear  could  be 
formed  !  It  is  now  nearly  ready  to  reward  our  care  with  its  nourish- 
ing fruits,  and  invites  us  to  meditate  upon  its  structure. 

When  a  grain  of  wheat  has  been  some  time  in  the  ground  it  shoots 
up  a  stalk,  which  rises  perpendicularly,  but  advances  very  gradually, 
to  favour  the  ripening  of  the  grain.  By  its  growing  so  high  the 
grain  is  preserved  from  the  moisture  of  the  earth,  which  would  rot  it ; 
and  the  height  of  the  stalk  also  contributes^to  perfect  the  juices  that 
ascend  from  the  root :  and  its  round  form  favours  this  operation,  by 
admitting  the  heat  to  penetrate  every  part  of  the  stem.  It  seems 
wonderful  that  so  delicate  a  stalk  should  support  itself,  and  bear  so 
many  grains,  without  sinking  beneath  its  burden,  or  being  beat  down 
by  each  blast  of  wind ;  but  nature  has  wisely  provided  against  all 
these  inconveniencies  in  furnishing  it  with  four  very  strong  knots, 
which  strengthen  it  without  lessening  its  pliability.  The  structure  of 
the  knots  evinces  much  wisdom  ;  like  a  fine  sieve,  they  are  full  of 
very  small  pores,  through  which  the  sap  rises  and  the  heat  penetrates. 
The  stalk  is  liable  to  be  beat  down  by  tempests  and  heavy  showers, 
but  its  suppleness  secures  it  from  injury  ;  it  is  flexible  enough  tobend 
without  breaking ;  if  it  was  more  stiff  it  might  be  shivered  by  the 
storm,  and  would  be  unfit  for  straw. 

From  the  principal  stalk  others  spring  up ;  they  are  not  so  high, 


STURM'S  KEFLECTIONS. 


233 


and  bear  leaves,  which,  collecting  the  drops  of  dew  and  rain,  supply 
the  plant  with  those  nutritious  juices  so  necessary  to  its  support ; 
whilst  the  most  essential  part  of  the  plant,  the  ear,  is  very  gradually 
formed.  To  preserve  the  tender  sprouts  from  the  dangers  and  acci- 
dents which  might  destroy  them,  the  first  moment  of  their  appear- 
ance, the  two  upper  leaves  of  the  stalk  unite  closely,  to  preserve  the 
ears,  as  well  as  furnish  them  with  the  necessary  juices.  As  soon  as 
the  stalk  is  sufficiently  formed  to  be  able  of  itself  to  supply  the  grain 
with  juices,  the  leaves  gradually  dry,  that  nothing  may  be  taken  from 
the  fruit,  and  that  the  root  may  have  nothing  to  support  w^hich  is 
useless.  When  these  leaves  are  removed,  the  young  ear  waves  grace- 
fully in  unveiled  beauty,  and  its  beard  serves  it  both  as  an  ornament, 
and"  as  a  defence  against  birds  and  insects.  Refreshed  with  gentle 
rains,  it  flourishes,  and  inspires  the  husbandman  with  the  most  pleas- 
ing hopes  ;  it  ripens  from  day  to  day,  till  at  length,  bowing  beneath 
the  weight  of  its  riches,  its  head  falls  beneath  the  sickle,  and  the 
farmer  joyfully  gathers  the  golden  sheaves. 

Here  we  discover  new  marks  of  the  wisdom  and  all-beneficent 
power  of  God,  ever  operating  for  the  good  of  man.  How  wonderful 
is  the  structure  of  a  single  stalk  of  w^heat !  and  what  greater  proof 
can  we  desire  of  the  goodness  of  our  Creator  ?  Open  your  eyes,  ye 
that  are  indifferent,  and  see  the  fields  wide  waving  round  with  the 
choicest  gifts  of  heaven,  and  you  will  no  longer  withhold  the  tribute 
of  praise  and  of  gratitude  to  your  all-bountiful  Father  ;  remember- 
ing, that  he  who  can  view  a  field  of  corn  without  his  soul  expanding 
with  gratitude,  or  who  does  not  feel  rejoiced  at  the  sight,  is  unworthy 
of  the  bread  it  so  abundantly  furnishes.  Let  us  think  as  men  en- 
dowed with  minds  capable  of  that  most  exquisite  of  all  pleasures,  the 
discovering  the  traces  of  an  infinitely  good  and  powerful  Being  in  all 
the  works  of  nature  ;  by  this  we  shall  raise  ourselves  above  the  con- 
dition of  brutes,  and  approach  neai  er  to  the  angels  of  light. 


JUNE  XXX. 

THE  BLIGHT. 

Prodigious  swarms  of  little  insects,  entirely  covering  the  tops, 
stalks,  and  leaves  of  plants,  occasion  what  is  usually  called  the  bhght. 
These  insects  are  as  numerous  in  their  varieties  as  the  species  of 
plants  they  infest,  and  they  merit  our  attention  most  particularly  fiom 
the  pecuHarities  which  they  exhibit.  They  not  only  lay  eggs,  but 
they  also  bring  forth  their  young  alive  ;  being  both  oviparous  and 
viviparous.  Whilst  the  fine  weather  continues,  the  young  ones  issue 
from  the  parent  insect  alive,  and  completely  formed,  because  at  that 
time  the  plants  can  aflford  them  sufficient  nutriment :  but  towards  the 
end  of  autumn  they  lay  eggs,  which  are  not  hatched  till  the  following 


234 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


spring;  for  if  they  came  to  life  sooner,  they  would  perish  for  want  of 
nourishment. 

At  the  time  when  the  female  insects  begin  to  lay  their  eggs,  the 
males  are  observed  to  appear,  which  seem  to  indicate  that  their  exist- 
ence w^as  not  necessary  before  that  period ;  and  this  conjecture  is  con- 
firmed by  the  experiments  which  have  been  made  upon  these  insects. 
If  we  take  one  at  the  instant  of  its  birth,  and  enclose  it  by  itself 
within  a  glass,  though  secluded  from  all  communication  with  other 
insects,  it  will  produce  a  young  one  as  soon  as  it  has  acquired  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  growth,  and  in  a  few  weeks  it  will  be  surrounded  by  a 
numerous  family.  If  the  experiment  be  repeated  upon  one  of  its 
young,  the  result  will  yet  be  the  same,  though  continued  for  many 
generations ;  which  proves  that  these  creatures  engender  of  them- 
selves without  copulation. 

Another  singularity  w^orthy  of  observation  is,  that  in  some  species 
of  insects  the  males  have  wings,  whilst  the  females  are  destitute  of 
them  :  but  in  the  class  of  which  we  no^v  treating,  both  sexes  are 
alike  in  that  respect ;  being  either  both  furnished  with,  wings,  or  both 
destitute  of  them.  Those  which  have  wrings  are  so  extremely  small, 
that  they  are  seen  walking  upon  those  that  have  none.  This  remark- 
able instance  of  the  singularities  of  nature,  so  w^idely  differing  from 
the  common  rules,  and  where  at  the  same  time  so  much  wisdom  is 
observable,  leads  us  naturally  to  ask.  Whence  these  peculiarities  in 
nature  proceed,  and  why  has  the  Creator  thought  fit  sometimes  to 
deviate  from  the  accustomed  laws  ?  To  answer  these  questions  in  a 
satisfactory  manner  we  ought  to  be  able  at  once  to  embrace  the  whole 
of  the  creation,  to  comprehend  all  the  parts  of  the  vast  kingdom  of 
nature,  with  all  their  uniting  links,  and  justly  to  appreciate  in  what 
and  how  far  any  thing  w^ould  be  advantageous  or  prejudicial  to  the 
whole.  But  from  the  limited  nature  of  our  faculties,  such  an  exten- 
sive range  of  knowledge  is  denied  us,  and  we  must  be  satisfied  with 
some  general  reasoning  which  may  in  some  degree  resolve  our  doubts, 
and  answer  the  question  to  our  satisfaction. 

In  the  first  place,  by  these  singularities  in  the  productions  of  nature, 
we  see  the  command  which  God  has  over  her  :  He  is  the  supreme 
Governor,  who  assigns  to  each  being  the  law^s  which  he  is  to  observe ; 
and  he  who  has  the  powder  to  make  has  also  the  right  to  suspend 
laws,  and  to  make  whatever  exceptions  he  pleases.  Secondly,  w^e 
every  where  find  in  nature  a  great  variety  of  objects  which  give  us 
occasion  to  rejoice  in  their  contemplation,  and  to  admire  the  glory  of 
the  Creator.  It  is  easy  to  perceive  how  much  these  exceptions  to 
general  rules  increase  the  variety  w^e  observe,  and  consequently  the 
pleasure  of  the  observer,  as  well  as  his  admiration  for  the  Author  of 
nature.  In  the  third  place,  experience  teaches  us  that  the  objects 
which  we  daily  see  become  familiar,  and  the  often-repeated  impression 
renders  us  less  attentive  to  their  beauties.  The  magnificent  spectacle 
of  nature  does  not  always  interest  us,  because  we  acquire  the  habit 
of  lightly  passing  over  those  things  which  we  continually  witness. 
Thus,  each  singularity,  each  unusual  appearance,  by  arresting  our 


STURM'S  HEFLECTIONS 


235 


attention,  tends  to  invite  us  to  contemplcate,  as  well  as  to  call  fortli 
our  admiration  of,  the  works  of  God.  And  lastly,  we  may  consider 
the  singularities  of  the  physical  world,  so  far  from  diminishing  the 
perfection  of  the  whole,  enter  into  the  plan  of  the  Divine  Wisdom, 
and  together  with  the  singularities  of  the  moral  world,  are  under  the 
direction  of  an  all-wise  Being,  who  governs  all  for  endless  glory,  per- 
fection, and  happiness. 


JULY  I. 

FOREIGN  PLANTS. 

All  our  different  sorts  of  corn,  and  many  of  our  vegetables,  derive 
their  origin  from  foreign  countries,  generally  those  of  a  higher  tem- 
perature than  ours.  The  greatest  part  of  them  came  from  Italy ; 
Italy  obtained  them  from  Greece  ;  and  Greece  from  the  East.  When 
America  was  discovered,  many  plants  and  flowers  were  found  that  till 
then  were  unknown,  and  have  since  been  transplanted  to  Europe, 
where  they  have  been  cultivated  with  great  success  :  and  the  Eng- 
iish  still  take  great  pains  to  cultivate  in  their  own  country  many  dif- 
ferent plants  from  North  America. 

Most  of  the  different  species  of  corn,  which  form  the  best  kind  of 
nutriment  for  men  and  animals,  are  graminous  ;  and  though  they  are 
now  completely  naturalized  to  our  soil,  and  the  fields  are  covered  with 
them,  they  are  of  foreign  growth.  Rye  and  wheat  are  indigenous  in 
Little  Tartary  and  Siberia,  where  they  still  grow  without  culture. 
From  what  country  barley  and  oats  were  first  introduced  we  are  igno- 
rant ;  but  we  may  be  assured  they  are  not  natives  of  this  climate,  or 
it  would  not  be  necessary  to  cultivate  them.  Rice  is  the  produce  of 
Ethiopia,  whence  it  was  carried  into  the  East,  and  aftenvard  to  Italy. 
Since  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth  century,  it  has  been  cul- 
tivated in  America,  and  we  now  import  from  that  country  great  quan- 
tities of  this  useful  grain.  Buckwheat  originally  came  from  Asia; 
it  W' as  introduced  into  Italy  at  the  time  of  the  crusades,  from  whence 
it  was  brought  to  Germany. 

Most  of  our  pulse  and  herbs  have  also  a  foreign  origin.  Borage 
comes  from  Syria  ;  cresses  from  Crete  ;  the  cauliflower  from  Cyprus; 
and  asparagus  from  Asia.  We  are  indebted  to  Italy  for  the  chervil ; 
to  Portugal  and  Spain  for  the  dill-seed  ;  to  the  Canary  Islands  for 
fennel ;  and  to  Egypt  for  aniseed  and  parsley.  Garlic  is  a  produc- 
tion of  the  East ;  shallots  come  from  Siberia,  and  the  horse-radish 
from  China.  We  are  indebted  to  the  East  Indies  for  kidney  beans  ; 
to  Astracan  for  pompions  ;  to  France  for  lentils ;  and  to  Brazil  for 
potatoes.  The  Spaniards  brought  the  tobacco  plant  from  Cuba, 
where  the  finest  species  of  tobacco  is  found. 

Some  of  our  most  beautiful  flow^ers  are  also  the  produce  of  foreign 
countries.    Jessamine  comes  from  the  East  Indies  ;  the  elder-tree 


236 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


from  Persia ;  the  tulip  from  Cappadocia ;  the  narcissus  or  daffodil  from 
Italy ;  the  lily  from  Syria  ;  the  tuberose  from  Java  and  Ceylon  ;  the 
pink  from  Italy  ;  and  the  aster  from  China. 

Let  us  regard  these  gifts  of  Nature  with  joy  and  gratitude,  and 
thank  our  Heavenly  Father  for  the  abundance  of  his  bounty,  in  thus 
contributing  to  our  pleasure  and  well-being,  by  making  the  remotest 
regions  of  the  earth  tributary  to  our  necessities.  Let  us  also  endea- 
vour to  become  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  globe  which  we 
inhabit.  There  is  an  universal  transmigration  over  all  the  earth ; 
men,  animals,  and  vegetables  are  transplanted  from  one  country  to 
another  :  and  may  we  all,  wherever  our  lot  may  be  cast,  endeavour 
to  do  our  duty  as  men,  and  so  live  that  our  names  shall  be  revered  by 
the  just  and  the  good  whilst  living,  and  when  happily  transplanted 
to  that  country  where  our  toils  shall  end,  and  our  troubles  cease,  our 
memory  shall  be  blessed,  and  our  departure  be  lamented,  by  thou- 
sands who  have  tasted  of  the  sweets  of  our  converse,  and  received 
the  benefits  of  our  exertions  for  the  general  good  of  mankind. 


JULY  II. 

TRANSFORMATION  OF  CATERPILLARS^ 

The  transformation  of  a  caterpillar  into  a  butterfly  is  a  very  curious 
phenomenon,  and  highly  deserving  our  attention.  The  manner  in 
which  caterpillars  prepare  for  their  change  is  truly  wonderful :  they 
do  nojt  immediately  become  butterflies,  but  pass  first  through  a  sort  of 
middle  state.  After  shedding  its  coat  three  or  four  times,  the  cater- 
pillar strips  itself  of  its  last  skin,  and  becomes  a  substance  not  in  the 
least  resembling  a  hving  creature.  It  is  then  enveloped  in  a  hard 
shell  called  chrysahs  or  nympha,  in  which  state  it  remains  two  or  three 
weeks,  sometimes  even  for  six  or  ten  months,  until  at  length  it  comes 
out  in  the  form  of  a  butterfly. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  butterflies  ;  the  wings  of  one  are  raised, 
those  of  the  other  are  flat ;  the  first  species  fly  during  the  day,  the 
latter  by  night.  The  caterpillar  of  the  night-butterfly  spins  a  cone, 
and  shuts  itself  up  in  it  when  the  time  of  its  transformation  approaches. 
Those  which,  when  become  butterflies,  fly  during  the  day,  suspend 
themselves  in  the  open  air  on  a  tree,  a  plant,  a  wall,  &c.  In  order  to 
do  this,  they  spin  themselves  a  very  small  web,  with  an  extremely 
fine  thread,  and  then  suspend  themselves  in  such  a  manner  that  their 
heads  are  a  little  bent  back  towards  the  top.  Some  of  these  cater- 
pillars, particularly  those  of  the  hairy  species,  remain  in  this  state, 
hanging  perpendicularly  with  their  heads  downward  ;  others  spin  a 
thread,  which  passes  round  the  middle  of  their  body,  and  which  is 
fastened  at  both  sides.  In  one  or  other  of  these  ways  all  caterpillars 
of  the  day-butterfly  prepare  for  the  great  revolution  they  are  about  to 
undergo.    Thus  both  species  of  caterpillars  bury  themselves  alive. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


237 


and  seem  quietly  to  await  the  termination  of  their  caterpillar  state, 
as  if  they  knew  that  after  a  short  repose  they  would  receive  a  new 
existence,  and  appear  again  under  a  more  brilliant  form. 

From  considering  the  transformation  of  the  caterpillar  into  the  but- 
terfly, we  may  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  a  much  more  noble  and 
exalted  subject,  the  death  and  resurrection  of  the  righteous.  Death 
resembles  a  state  of  sleep,  a  soft  repose,  in  which  our  nature  rests 
after  the  toils,  the  pains,  and  the  miseries  of  this  life.  For  the  space 
of  a  moment  we  are  deprived  of  sensibihty  and  motion,  that  we  may 
awaken  to  glory  and  a  happy  existence. 

What  is  a  caterpillar  1  A  creeping  worm,  insignificant  and  despis- 
ed, which,  whilst  it  crawls  along  through  hfe,  is  exposed  to  various 
accidents  and  injuries.  And  what  is  man  1  Is  his  condition  in  this 
world  much  better  1  Is  he  affluent  and  fortunate,  he  flutters  gayly 
in  the  beams  of  prosperity,  and  often  equally  insignificant  with  the 
butterfly,  struts  his  hour,  and  passes  into  airy  nothing,  unlamented 
and  unregarded.  But  these,  compared  with  the  children  of  penury 
and  misfortune,  are  few  :  the  greater  part  of  men  have  to  pass  from 
their  cradle  to  their  grave  through  toil,  misery,  and  poverty ;  most 
men  haye  to  labour  from  morn  till  night  like  beasts  of  burden,  with- 
out the  power  or  the  hope  of  enlarging  their  minds,  and,  expanding 
their  ideas  beyond  the  confined  atmosphere  of  their  workshop  ;  or  the 
ale-house,  where  they  herd  together  to  solace  themselves  with  smoke 
and  beer  after  the  fatigues  of  the  day. 

As  the  caterpillar  prepares  with  care  for  its  transformation,  and  the 
state  of  inaction  and  insensibility  which  it  is  shortly  to  undergo ;  so 
in  a  diflferent  way,  but  not  less  earnestly,  does  the  good  man  prepare 
for,  and  expect  with  a  cheerful  acquiescence  and  fond  hope,  that  aw- 
ful change  when  he  is  to  undergo  a  temporary  death,  to  enter  into  a 
joyful  state  of  perfection  and  immortality. 

The  sleep  of  the  caterpillar  is  not  perpetual,  it  is  merely  the  pre- 
cursor of  a  new  state  of  existence  :  after  its  transformation  it  appears 
again  more  perfect  and  brilliant  :  before,  it  crept  upon  the  earth  ;  it 
now  flies  in  the  air,  and  lightly  skims  over  the  surface  of  a  thousand 
flowers,  sipping  honey  and  nectareous  dew. 

In  all  this  we  may  observe  a  lively  emblem  of  the  death  and  resur- 
rection of  a  righteous  man.  That  body  which  was  feeble,  sensual, 
and  gross,  refined  from  its  earthly  nature,  puts  on  a  glorious  immortal- 
ity, and  is  clothed  with  perfection ;  that  mind  which  was  so  limited 
in  its  faculties  and  confined  in  its  powers,  subject  to  passions  and  emo- 
tions that  degraded  its  heavenly  essence,  so  contracted  and  weak  that 
it  could  not  penetrate  mists  of  prejudice,  and  so  Wind  that  it  could 
not  perceive  truth,  now,  pure  as  light,  and  boundless  as  infinity,  views 
the  whole  extent  of  nature,  and  sees  at  once  millions  of  worlds ; 
communes  with  angels,  and  expands  to  the  infinite  God,  the  source 
of  all  power,  wisdom,  and  glory.  We  have  here  an  important  lesson  : 
if  this  be  the  glorious  change  we  expect,  let  us  make  timely  and 
eflfectual  preparation  for  it.  If  our  present  state  be  but  transitory  and 
imperfect,  let  us  not  make  it  our  chief  object :  let  not  the  few  mo- 


238 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


ments  which  are  allotted  us  for  our  preparation  for  eternity  be  mis- 
pent,  or  the  reason  why  we  have  them  mistaken. 


JULY  in. 

THE  SILK-WORM. 

The  genus  of  caterpillars,  w^hich  we  have  just  seen,  is  divided  into 
two  general  classes,  one  of  which  comprehends  the  diurnal,  the  other 
the  nocturnal  butterflies  ;  is  farther  divided  into  different  families, 
each  of  which  has  its  distinct  characteristics  and  properties. 

Thus  the  silk-worm  is  a  species  of  caterpillar,  and  like  it  is  formed 
of  several  moveable  rings,  and  is  well  furnished  with  feet  and  claws, 
to  rest  and  fix  itself  wehere  it  pleases.  It  has  tw^o  rows  of  teeth,  which 
do  not  move  upwards  and  dow^nw^ards,  but  from  right  to  left,  which 
enables  it  to  press,  cut,  and  tear  the  leaves  in  every  direction.  Along 
the  whole  length  of  its  back  we  perceive  through  its  skin  a  vessel 
Avhich  performs  the  function  of  a  heart.  On  each  side  of  this  insect 
are  nine  orifices,  which  answer  to  as  many  lungs,  and  assist  the  circu- 
lation of  the  chyle  or  nutritive  juice.  Under  the  mouth  it  has  a  kind 
of  reel  with  tw^o  holes,  through  which  pass  two  drops  of  the  gum  with 
which  its  bag  is  filled  ;  they  act  like  two  distaffs,  continually  furnish- 
ing it  with  the  materials  of  which  it  makes  its  silk.  The  gum  which 
distils  through  the  two  orifices  takes  their  form,  lengthens  into  a 
double  thread,  which  presently  loses  the  fluidity  of  the  liquid  gum, 
and  acquires  the  consistence  necessary  to  support  or  to  envelope  the 
worm.  When  that  time  arrives  it  joins  the  two  threads  together,  by 
gluing  them  one  over  the  other  w4th  its  fore  feet.  This  double  thread 
is  not  only  very  fine,  but  also  very  strong,  and  of  great  length.  Each 
bag  has  a  thread  which  is  nearly  five  hundred  German  ells  long ;  and 
as  this  thread  is  double,  and  joined  together  throughout  its  length, 
each  bag  will  be  found  to  contain  a  thousand  ells  of  silk,  though  the 
whole  weight  does  not  exceed  tw^o  grains  and  a  half. 

The  life  of  this  insect  in  its  vermiform  state  is  very  short,  and  it 
passes  through  different  states  till  it  gradually  arrives  at  its  greatest 
degree  of  perfection.  When  it  first  emerges  from  the  egg  it  is  extremely 
small,  perfectly  black,  and  its  head  of  a  still  brighter  black  than  the 
rest  of  its  body  :  in  a  few  days  it  begins  to  grow  white,  or  of  an  ash 
colour  ;  its  coat  becomes  dirty  and  rufl?led  ;  it  casts  it  off,  and  appears 
in  a  new  dress  ;  it  becomes  larger  and  much  whiter,  though  a  little 
tinged  with  green,  from  feeding  upon  green  leaves.  After  a  few  more 
days,  the  number  of  which  varies  according  to  the  degree  of  heat  and 
quality  of  its  nourishment,  it  ceases  to  eat,  and  sleeps  for  nearly  two 
days ;  it  then  agitates  and  frets  itself  extremely,  becoming  red  with 
the  efforts  it  makes  ;  its  skin  wrinkles  and  shrivels  up,  it  throws  it  off 
a  second  time,  and  gets  rid  of  it  with  its  feet.  Thus  within  the  space 
of  three  weeks  or  a  month  we  see  it  fresh  dressed  three  times.  It 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


239 


now  begins  to  eat  again,  and  might  be  taken  for  a  different  creature, 
so  much  is  the  appearance  of  its  head,  colour,  and  figure,  altered. 

After  continuing  to  eat  for  some  days,  it  falls  again  into  a  lethargic 
state  ;  on  recovering  from  which  it  once  more  changes  its  coat,  which 
makes  the  third  since  it  issued  from  its  shell.  It  continues  to  eat  for 
some  time,  then  entirely  ceasing  to  take  any  nutriment,  prepares  for 
itself  a  retreat,  and  draws  out  a  silken  thread,  which  it  wraps  round 
its  body  in  the  same  manner  as  we  might  wind  thread  round  an  oval 
piece  of  wood.  It  remains  quietly  in  the  bag  it  has  formed,  and  at 
the  end  of  fifteen  days  would  pierce  it  to  issue  forth,  if  it  be  not  killed 
by  being  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  sun,  or  shut  up  in  an  oven.  The 
silk-cones  are  throw^n  into  warm  water,  and  stirred  about  with  birch 
twigs  to  draw  out  the  heads  or  beginning  of  the  threads,  and  the  silk 
is  afterwards  wound  upon  reels  made  for  the  purpose. 

Thus  we  are  indebted  to  this  little  insect  for  great  luxury  in  cloth- 
ing :  a  reflection  which  ought  to  humble  our  pride  ;  for  how  can  we 
be  vain  of  the  silk  which  covers  us,  when  we  reflect  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  it,  and  how  little  we  are  instrumental  in  the  formation 
of  those  beauties  in  our  clothing  of  which  we  are  vain  ? 

Thus  we  find  the  most  insignificant  and  despicable  objects  are  the 
instruments  of  ornament  and  advantage  to  man  ;  an  insect  that  we 
scarcely  condescend  to  look  at  becomes  a  blessing  to  thousands  of 
human  beings,  and  forms  an  important  article  of  trade,  and  a  great 
source  of  riches.  Let  us,  then,  instead  of  passing  our  days  in  the  rou- 
tine of  indolence  and  luxurious  dissipation,  imitate  the  industrious 
silkworm,  and  endeavour,  by  the  unremitting  and  assiduous  cultiva- 
tion of  our  faculties,  to  render  ourselves  useful  to  mankind ;  and  if 
we  are  neither  able  nor  fortunate  enough  to  discover  some  new  truth, 
let  us  at  least  attempt  to  make  all  within  the  circle  of  our  influence 
happy  and  contented  by  our  generous  exertions  for  their  welfare. 


JULY  IV. 

THE  RAINBOW. 

When  the  rays  of  the  sun  strike  upon  drops  of  water  falling  from 
the  clouds,  and  we  are  so  placed  that  our  backs  are  towards  the  sun, 
and  the  clouds  before  us,  we  observe  a  peculiar  phenomenon  in  the 
heavens  called  a  rainbow.  The  drops  of  rain  may  be  considered  as 
small  transparent  globules  upon  which  the  rays  fall,  and  are  Uvice  re- 
fracted and  once  reflected.  Hence  proceed  the  different  colours  of 
the  rainbow  :  they  are  seven  in  number,  and  appear  in  the  following 
order ;  red,  orange,  yellow,  green,  blue,  indigo,  and  violet.  These 
colours  appear  the  more  vivid  as  the  clouds  which  are  behind  are 
darker,  and  the  drops  of  rain  fall  closer.  The  drops  falling  continu- 
ally produce  a  new  rainbow  every  moment,  and  as  each  spectator  ob- 
serves it  from  a  particular  situation,  it  happens  that  scarcely  two  men, 


240 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


strictly  speaking,  see  the  same  rainbow  ;  and  this  nieteorous  appear- 
ance can  only  last  whilst  the  drops  of  rain  continue  to  fall. 

If  we  consider  the  rainbow  merely  as  a  phenomenon  of  nature,  it 
presents  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spectacles  we  can  possibly  con- 
ceive, and  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  of  nature's  pictures  ;  but 
when  we  recollect  that  God  has  made  this  meteor  a  sign  of  his  mercy, 
and  the  confirmation  of  his  holy  covenant  vouchsafed  to  mankind, 
we  may  make  it  the  subject  of  a  most  edifying,  as  well  as  pleasing, 
reflection.  When  the  rain  descends  from  one  extremity  of  the  horizon 
to  the  other  we  cannot  see  a  rainbow,  because  to  form  this  meteor 
the  sun  must  appear  at  the  same  time  with  the  rain  ;  and  when  the 
sky  is  only  covered  with  clouds  on  one  side,  and  the  sun  appears  on 
the  other,  it  is  a  sign  that  these  clouds  will  soon  disperse,  and  that 
the  sky  will  become  clear  and  serene  ;  this  also  is  the  reason  why  we 
cannot  see  the  rainbow  unless  the  sun  is  behind,  and  the  watery  cloud 
before  us.  In  order  to  form  the  rainbow,  then,  the  sun  and  the  rain 
must  both  be  present  at  the  same  time  :  we  may  therefore  rest  as- 
sured, every  time  we  witness  this  beautiful  phenomenon,  that  we  are 
safe  from  the  inundation  of  a  deluge  ;  for,  to  effect  this,  the  rain  must 
descend  in  torrents  from  all  parts  of  the  heavens,  and  if  this  happen- 
ed the  sun  could  not  be  seen.  We  could  not  see  the  colours  of  the 
rainbow  if  the  sky  was  too  clear  ;  to  produce  such  an  effect  a  part  of 
the  horizon  must  be  covered  with  thick  clouds. 

All  these  considerations  naturally  dispose  our  minds  to  pious  reflec- 
tions. As  often  as  we  see  the  Heavens  adorned  with  the  beautiful 
colours  of  the  rainbow,  we  may  truly  say.  How  great  is  the  majesty 
of  God !  How  wonderful  his  goodness  towards  his  creatures  !  We 
still  see  that  He  remembers  us  in  mercy.  Let  us  then  bow  before 
and  adore  Him  who  keeps  his  covenant,  and  fulfils  all  his  merciful 
promises  ;  blessed  be  his  name  through  all  the  ages  of  eternity  ! 


JULY  V. 
birds'  nests. 

The  construction  of  birds'  nests  shows  us  many  curious  objects, 
which  cannot  be  uninteresting  to  the  reflecting  mind.  Who  can  help 
admiring  those  little  regular  edifices  composed  of  so  many  different 
materials,  collected  and  arranged  with  so  much  pains  and  skill ;  and 
constructed  with  so  much  industry,  elegance,  and  neatness,  with  no 
other  tools  than  a  bill  and  tw^o  feet  1  That  men  can  erect  great  build- 
ings, according  to  certain  rules  of  art,  is  not  surprising,  when  w^e  con- 
sider that  they  enjoy  the  reasoning  faculty,  and  that  they  possess 
tools  and  instruments  of  various  kinds  to  facilitate  their  work  ;  but 
that  a  delicate  little  bird,  in  want  of  almost  every  thing  necessary  for 
such  an  undertaking,  with  only  its  bill  and  claws,  should  know  how 
to  combine  so  much  skill,  regularity  of  form,  and  solidity  of  structure, 


STURM  S  REFLECTIONS. 


241 


in  forming  its  nest,  is  truly  wonderful,  and  never  enough  to  be  admired. 
We  shall  therefore  consider  it  more  minutely. 

Nothing  is  more  curious  than  the  nest  of  a  goldfinch.  The  inside 
is  lined  with  cotton,  wool,  and  fine  silky  threads,  while  the  outside  ia 
interwoven  with  thick  moss ;  and  that  the  nest  may  be  less  remark- 
able, and  less  exposed  to  the  eye  of  observers,  the  colour  of  the  moss 
resembles  that  of  the  bark  of  the  tree  or  of  the  hedge  where  the  nest 
is  built.  In  some  nests  the  hair,  the  down,  and  the  straws,  are  curi- 
ously laid  across  each  other,  and  interwoven  together.  There  are 
others,  all  the  parts  of  which  are  neatly  joined  and  fastened  together 
by  a  thread  which  the  bird  makes  with  flax,  and  horse  or  cow-hair, 
and  often  of  spiders'  webs.  Other  birds,  as  the  blackbird  and  the 
lapwing,  after  having  built  their  nest,  plaster  the  outside  with  a  thin 
coating  of  mortar,  which  cements  and  binds  together  all  the  lower 
parts,  and  which,  with  the  help  of  some  cow-hair  or  moss  stuck  to  it 
whilst  the  plaster  is  wet,  keeps  it  compact  and  warm.  The  nests  of 
swallows  are  differently  constructed  from  all  others.  They  use 
neither  sticks,  straws,  nor  flax  ;  but  they  compose  a  sort  of  cement, 
with  which  they  make  themselves  nests,  perfectly  neat,  secure,  and 
convenient.  To  moisten  the  dust  of  which  they  form  their  nest,  they 
frequently  skim  over  the  surface  of  some  lake  or  river,  and,  dipping 
their  breasts  into  the  water,  shake  their  wet  feathers  upon  the  dust 
till  it  is  sufficiently  moist,  and  then  knead  it  up  into  a  kind  of  clay 
with  their  bills. 

But  the  nests  most  worthy  of  our  admiration  are  those  of  certain 
Indian  birds,  which  suspend  them  with  great  art  from  the  branches 
of  trees,  that  they  may  be  secure  from  the  pursuit  of  several  animals 
and  insects.  In  general  each  species  of  bird  has  a  peculiar  mode  of 
placing  its  nest :  some  build  them  on  houses,  others  in  trees,  some  in 
the  grass,  others  in  the  ground  ;  and  always  in  that  way  which  is 
most  adapted  for  their  safety,  the  rearing  their  young,  and  the  pre. 
aervation  of  their  species. 

Such  is  the  wonderful  instinct  of  birds  in  the  structure  and  dispo- 
sition of  their  nests,  that  we  may  almost  conclude  they  cannot  be 
mere  machines ;  so  much  industry,  intelligence,  sagacity,  and  skill, 
do  they  display  in  the  construction  of  their  nests.  And  is  it  not  ap- 
parent that  in  all  their  works  they  propose  to  themselves  certain 
ends  1  They  make  their  nests  hollow,  forming  the  half  of  a  sphere, 
that  the  heat  may  be  better  retained.  The  outside  of  the  nest  is  co- 
vered by  substances  more  or  less  coarse,  not  only  to  serve  as  a  foun- 
dation, but  to  prevent  the  wind  and  insects  from  entering.  The  in- 
side is  lined  with  the  most  delicate  materials,  such  as  wool  and  fea* 
thers,  that  the  nestlings  may  be  soft  and  waj  m. 

Is  it  not  something  nearly  approaching  to  reason  which  teaches  the 
bird  to  place  its  nest  in  such  a  manner  that  it  is  sheltered  from  rain, 
and  out  of  the  reach  of  destructive  animals  ?  Where  have  they  learn- 
ed that  they  are  to  produce  eggs  which  will  require  a  nest  to  prevent 
them  from  being  broken,  and  to  keep  them  warm  ?  That  the  heat 
would  not  be  sufficiently  concentrated  if  the  nest  were  larger,  and 
21  2F 


242 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


that,  if  it  were  smaller,  all  the  young  ones  could  not  be  contained  in 
if?  Who  has  taught  them  not  to  mistake  the  time,  and  to  calculate 
so  exactly  that  the  eggs  are  not  laid  before  the  nest  is  finished] 
These  questions  have  never  been  satisfactorily  answered,  neither  can 
this  mystery  in  nature  be  clearly  explained :  all  we  can  do  is  to  refer 
it  to  an  instinct  which  some  animals  seem  to  possess  in  a  manner 
almost  equal  to  reason  :  and  instinct  to  them  is  much  more  happy 
and  beneficial  than  reason  would  be  ;  for  they  seem  to  enjoy  all  the 
sweets  of  life  without  their  moments  being  imbittered  by  the  consi- 
deration of  their  inferior  rank  in  the  creation,  and  without  the  pain  of 
anticipating  evil. 


JULY  VL 

DIVERSITY  OF  PLEASURES  IN  NATURE. 

To  whatever  part  of  the  creation  we  direct  our  view  we  find  some- 
thing to  interest  and  gratify  either  our  senses,  our  imagination,  or  our 
reason.  Universal  nature  is  formed  to  present  us  with  a  multitude  of 
pleasing  objects,  and  to  procure  those  new  and  varied  delights  which 
continually  succeed  each  other.  Our  inclination  for  variety  is  con- 
tinually excited  and  always  gratified  ;  there  is  no  part  of  the  day  in 
which  we  do  not  find  some  gratification  for  our  senses  or  for  our 
minds.  Whilst  the  sun  illumines  the  horizon,  plants,  animals,  and  a 
thousand  pleasing  objects,  gratify  our  view  ;  and  when  night  extends 
her  sable  mantle  over  the  earth,  the  majestic  grandeur  of  the  firma- 
ment occasions  rapture  and  astonishment.  Every  where  Nature 
works  to  procure  us  new  enjoyment;  even  the  smallest  insects, 
leaves,  and  grains  of  sand,  offer  subjects  of  admiration  :  and  he  who 
is  not  struck  with  this  infinite  diversity,  and  does  not  acknowledge  in 
it  the  goodness  of  God,  must  be  blind  indeed  ;  and  little  are  his  feel- 
ings to  be  envied  whose  heart  does  not  throb  with  pleasure  at  the 
sight  of  nature's  beautiful  objects. 

The  same  brook  that  waters  the  valleys,  murmurs  sweet  music  in 
our  ear,  invites  us  to  soft  repose,  and  refreshes  the  parched  tongue. 
The  grove  which  shields  us  from  the  piercing  rays  of  the  sun  by  its 
protecting  shade,  makes  us  experience  a  delicious  coolness  ;  reclining 
at  ease  beneath  the  lofty  trees,  whilst  we  hsten  to  the  joyful  songs  of 
the  birds,  a  thousand  sweet  sensations  sooth  our  souls.  The  trees, 
whose  beautiful  blossoms  so  lately  delighted  us,  will  soon  produce  the 
most  delicious  fruits  ;  and  the  meadows,  waving  with  the  ripening 
corn,  promise  an  abundant  harvest. 

Nature  presents  us  with  no  objects  pleasing  and  useful  in  only  one 
respect ;  she  clothes  and  adorns  the  earth  with  green,  a  colour  the 
most  beneficial  and  agreeable  to  the  eye,  and  adds  to  its  beauty  by 
diversifying  its  shades  ;  for,  though  pleasing  in  itself,  its  charms  are 
much  increased  by  this  happy  distribution  of  shade.    Each  species  of 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


243 


plant  has  its  peculiar  colour  ;  landscapes  covered  with  woods,  bushes, 
plants,  vegetables,  and  corn,  present  a  most  beautiful  scene  of  verdure, 
where  the  colouring  is  infinitely  varied,  and  its  shades  insensibly 
blended,  increasing  from  the  lightest  tints  to  the  darkest  hue ;  and 
yet  a  perfect  harmony  is  always  preserved. 

Every  month  of  the  year  brings  us  different  plants  and  new  flowers. 
Those  which  are  decayed  are  replaced  by  others,  and  by  thus  suc- 
ceeding each  other  there  is  no  perceptible  void  in  the  vegetable 
kingdom. 

But  to  whom  are  we  indebted  for  these  numerous  and  diversified 
presents?  Who  is  it  that  provides  for  our  wants  and  pleasures  with 
so  much  goodness  and  munificence?  Go  and  ask  universal  nature  : 
the  hills  and  the  vallies  will  inform  thee,  the  earth  will  teach  thee, 
and  the  heaven  is  a  mirror  in  which  thou  mayest  behold  the  Author 
of  these  blessings.  The  storm  and  the  tempest  announce  him  ;  the 
voice  of  thunder  and  the  fire  of  lightning,  the  bow  painted  in  the 
heavens,  the  rain  and  the  snow,  proclaim  his  wisdom  and  goodness. 
The  gieen  meadows,  the  fields  yellow  with  the  ripe  grain,  the  moun- 
tains whose  lofty  summits  are  lost  in  the  clouds,  the  trees  bending 
with  fruit,  gardens  variegated  with  flowers,  and  the  rose's  delicious 
bloom,  all  bear  the  stamp  of  His  impression.  The  birds  celebrate 
him  in  their  melodious  concerts  :  the  sportive  lambs;  the  stag,  bound- 
ing through  the  forests;  the  worm  that  crawls  in  the  dust;  the 
ocean-monarch,  the  huge  whale,  that  with  its  gambols  sinks  ships, 
and  tumbling  in  the  foam  makes  the  waves  roar ;  the  fearful  croco- 
dile ;  the  elephant,  that  carries  towers  upon  its  back  ;  all  the  animals 
that  people  the  air,  the  earth,  and  the  sea,  declare  the  glory  and  pro- 
claim the  existence  of  Almighty  God.  Let  us  then  open  our  ears  to 
this  universal  voice  of  nature,  which  speaks  a  language  we  cannot 
resist ;  and  let  us,  that  are  the  happy  witnesses  of  these  wonders  of 
God,  come  and  render  unto  him,  in  the  presence  of  his  creatures,  that 
testimony  of  gratitude  and  adoration  which  is  due  to  him  for  so  many 
blessings. 

We  cannot  look  around  but  every  thing  reminds  us  of  his  infinite 
goodness,  and  calls  forth  our  gratitude  and  joy ;  when  we  walk  abroad 
into  the  fields,  and  see  the  rich  corn,  the  flocks  feeding,  and  the  ver- 
dant groves,  may  our  souls  be  filled  with  pleasure,  and  our  hearts  re- 
joice in  bliss  !  We  shall  then  experience  that  there  is  no  greater  and 
more  durable  satisfaction  than  that  arising  from  the  contemplation  of 
Nature's  works,  which  the  longer  we  consider  the  more  we  shall 
admire  :  and  the  more  attentively  we  observe  the  more  shall  we  dis- 
cover that  God  is  a  pure  being,  who  loves  mercy  and  goodness,  and 
that  the  Christian  rehgion  is  a  source  of  unfading  joy,  and  a  continual 
motive  for  grateful  adoration. 


S44 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


JULY  VIL 

A  FLOWER-GARDEN. 

Let  US  now  take  a  view  of  the  flower-garden,  and  consider  the  nu- 
merous and  varied  beauties  which  are  collected  in  so  small  a  space. 
The  art  and  industry  of  man  have  made  it  the  receptacle  of  the  most 
beautiful  flowers.  But  what  would  it  have  been  without  care  and  in- 
dustry? A  wild  desert,  full  of  thorns  and  weeds.  And  such  would 
be  the  condition  of  our  youth  if  their  education  w^ere  neglected,  and 
their  minds  remained  uncultivated.  But  when  children  early  receive 
instruction,  and  imbibe  good  principles,  they  are  like  sweet  blossoms, 
delightful  in  beauty,  and  soon  productive  of  fruit  that  will  benefit 
society. 

Observe  the  night-violet,  or  Julian  flower,  which  towards  evening 
perfumes  the  garden  with  its  fragrance,  in  which  it  excels  all  other 
flowers  ;  but  it  has  no  beauty,  and  has  scarcely  even  the  resemblance 
of  a  flower :  it  is  small  and  of  a  gray  colour,  approaching  towards 
green,  so  as  to  be  scarcely  distinguished  from  the  leaves  ;  humble  and 
modest,  it  scents  the  whole  garden,  though  it  is  not  perceived  in  the 
multitude  ;  and  it  is  almost  incredible  that  a  flower  of  such  insignifi- 
cant appearance  should  give  out  odours  so  exquisitely  sweet.  It  may 
be  said  to  resemble  a  person  who  is  not  handsome,  but  whose  want  of 
beauty  nature  has  more  than  compensated  by  a  ready  wit  and  en- 
larged mind.  The  pious  man  often  does  good  in  silence  and  privacy, 
and  the  sweet  incense  of  hi?*good  works  ascends  all  around  him  ;  and 
when  we  become  acquainted  with  this  amiable  character,  we  perhaps 
find  him  neither  distinguished  by  elegance  of  person  nor  elevation  of 
rank. 

The  carnation  combines  both  beauty  and  fragrance,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  perfect  of  flowers  ;  in  the  richness  and  beauty  of  its  colours 
it  approaches  the  tulip,  and  surpasses  it  in  the  number  of  its  leaves 
and  in  the  elegance  of  its  form.  This  flower  is  the  emblem  of  a 
person  in  whom  sense  and  beauty  are  united,  and  who  has  the  happi- 
ness to  conciliate  the  love  and  respect  of  his  fellow-creatures. 

Let  us  next  observe  the  rose :  its  colour,  form,  and  perfume,  all 
charm  us ;  but  its  beauty  soon  fades,  and  the  attractions  which  distin- 
guish it  from  other  flowers  soon  cease.  This  is  a  useful  lesson  to  those 
who  pride  theimselves  upon  beauty  only  :  from  the  short-lived  honours 
of  the  rose,  let  them  take  warning  how  frail  and  perishing  are  the 
charms  of  person  and  the  elegance  of  form.  *  All  is  vanity ;  all 
flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  the  field  ; 
the  grass  withereth,  and  the  flower  fadeth  away.'  The  blies  and  the 
roses  of  a  beautiful  face  fade  hke  the  flowers  of  the  garden,  and  death 
leaves  no  trace  of  them  behind.  Let  us  then  be  wise  enough  to  seek 
our  happiness  and  repose  from  more  certain  and  durable  sources.  Wis- 
dom, virtue,  and  the  blessings  of  Christianity,  never  fade,  and  are 


STURM'S  REFLECTIOiNS. 


245 


never  exhausted  ;  they  are  the  eternal  fountains  of  joy  whose  waters 
shall  refresh  when  every  other  source  is  dried  up. 


JULY  VIIL 

PHENOMENA  OF  A  THUNDER-STORM. 

However  terrible  the  effects  of  storms  and  of  thunder  may  be,  they 
present  a  spectacle  so  grand  and  astonishing  that  they  claim  our  most 
earnest  consideration.  An  examination  into  their  nature  and  effects 
is  the  more  necessary,  because  it  often  happens  that  an  excessive  fear 
prevents  our  considering  this  grand  and  awful  spectacle  with  sufficient 
attention. 

When  a  stormy  cloud  or  collection  of  vapours  highly  electrified 
approaches  so  near  a  high  building,  or  a  cloud  which  is  not  electri- 
fied, that  an  electric  spark  escapes  from  it,  an  explosion  takes  place, 
which  is  called  a  clap  of  thunder ;  and  the  vivid  light  that  we  see  is 
lightning.  Sometimes  we  only  see  a  sudden  and  momentary  flash  ; 
at  other  times  a  train  of  fire  shoots  through  the  heavens  in  a  forked 
or  zig-zag  form.  The  explosion  which  accompanies  the  lightning 
demonstrates  that  the  v^apours  which  occasion  the  thunder,  becoming 
suddenly  ignited,  violently  agitate  and  expand  the  air ;  with  the 
emission  of  each  electric  spark  an  explosion  is  heard,  and  the  thunder 
is  sometimes  composed  of  several  claps,  or  is  prolonged  and  multiplied 
by  echo. 

There  is  generally  some  interval  of  time  between  the  lightning 
and  the  thunder-clap,  and  this  enables  us  to  judge  of  the  degree  and 
nearness  of  the  danger ;  for  sound  requires  some  time  to  reach  our 
ear,  while  light  passes  so  rapidly,  that,  travelling  through  t  he  same 
space,  it  strikes  upon  our  organs  of  vision  much  sooner.  As  soon, 
therefore,  as  w^e  see  a  flash  of  lightning,  we  have  only  to  count  the 
seconds  that  intervene  before  we  hear  the  thunder  ;  or  if  we  have  not 
a  watch,  we  may  count  how  many  times  our  pulse  beats  between  the 
clap  and  the  flash  ;  if  we  can  reckon  ten,  we  are  certain  that  the 
thunder  is  distant  a  quarter  of  a  league  ;  for  about  forty  pulsations 
may  be  felt  whilst  the  sound  travels  the  space  of  one  league.* 

Lightning  does  not  always  proceed  in  a  right  line  from  above  down- 
wards, but  often  in  a  serpentine  or  zig-zag  direction,  and  sometimes 
does  not  flash  till  very  near  the  ground.  The  electric  matter  which 
reaches  the  earth,  or  takes  fire  near  it,  never  fails  to  strike  ;  but  it  has 
not  always  force  enough  to  reach  us,  and,  like  an  ill-charged  bomb, 
is  spent  in  the  air  without  doing  any  injury  :  but  when  the  combus- 
tible vapours  reach  the  ground  they  often  occasion  great  damage. 

♦  Perhaps  it  may  assist  those  who  are  not  accustomed  to  this  kind  of  calculation,  to 
be  aware  that  sound  passes  about  one  thousand  feet  in  one  second  of  time  ;  so  that  if 
twenty  seconds  can  be  counted  between  the  clap  and  the  flash,  the  place  where  the 
^Vunder  is  generated  is  distant  twenty  thousand  feet. — ^E. 
21* 


246 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


However,  as  iincaltivated  tracts  of  land,  deserts,  and  places  where 
there  are  no  habitations,  form  the  greatest  part  of  our  globe,  the  thun- 
der may  often  peal,  and  the  lightning's  flash  pierce  the  earth,  void  of 
harm.  The  course  of  lightning  is  very  singular  and  uncertain,  and 
depends  upon  the  direction  of  the  wind,  the  quantity  of  exhalations, 
and  various  other  causes.  It  passes  wherever  it  meets  with  combus- 
tible matter,  as  when  gunpowder  is  lighted  the  flame  runs  along  the 
course  of  the  train,  firing  every  thing  in  its  way. 

We  may  judge  of  the  force  of  the  lightning  by  the  astonishing 
effects  it  produces:  such  is  the  ardency  of  the  flame  thai  it  cor.sumes 
all  combustible  bodies  ;  it  even  melts  metals,  but  often  spares  the 
substances  contained  in  them  when  they  are  sufficiently  porous  to 
admit  of  a  free  passage  through  them.  It  is  owing  to  the  amazing 
velocity  of  the  lightning  that  the  bones  of  animals  are  sometimes 
calcined  without  the  flesh  being  at  all  injured;  that  the  strongest 
buildings  are  thrown  down,  the  trees  torn  up  by  the  roots,  or  cleft, 
the  thickest  walls  overturned,  and  stones  and  rocks  broken  and  re- 
duced to  powder.  To  the  sudden  rarefaction  and  violent  agitation  of 
the  air,  produced  by  the  intense  heat  and  velocity  of  the  lightning, 
may  be  attributed  the  death  of  those  animals  that  are  found  suf- 
focated without  any  appearance  of  having  been  struck  by  lightning. 

Let  us  then  meditate  in  silence  upon  the  awful  and  subhme  ap- 
pearance of  a  storm  ;  when  we  see  the  black  clouds  gather,  and  the 
sun  withdraw  his  light,  as  if  to  hide  himself  from  the  contending  ele- 
ments, let  us  remember  it  is  the  Lord  Omnipotent  '  who  bows  the 
heavens,  and  comes  down  with  darkness  under  his  feet.'  The  winds 
rush  from  the  four  corners  of  heaven,  and  the  storm  thickens ;  but 
God  himself  is  in  the  whirlwind,  and  '  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wind.'  At  his  command  the  clouds  retire,  and  the  thunder  and  red 
lightning  disperse.  '  Hearken  attentively  to  the  sound  of  his  voice, 
to  the  terrible  sound  that  goeth  out  of  his  mouth.  He  directeth  it 
under  the  whole  heaven,  and  darts  his  lightning  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth.'  But  though  his  countenance  be  lifted  up  in  wrath,  and  his 
storms  strike  terror  into  a  guilty  world,  his  beneficent  hand  is  merci- 
fully extended  to  all  who  prefer  the  sweets  of  religion  and  the  purity 
of  innocence  to  the  empty  and  insignificant  pursuits  of  thoughtless 
folly,  or  the  more  baneful  practice  of  iniquity  and  continued  dissipa- 
tion. 


JULY  IX. 

THE  ANTS. 

The  ants,  as  well  as  the  bees,  may  be  considered  as  a  little  com- 
monwealth, having  a  pecuhar  government,  laws,  and  pohce.  They 
live  in  a  sort  of  tow^n,  divided  into  various  streets,  which  lead  to  as 
many  magazines.  Their  industry  and  activity  in  collecting  and  using 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


247 


the  materials  which  they  want  for  their  hahitatioii  is  admirable.  They 
all  unite  together  to  dig  the  earth  and  carry  it  away  from  their  re- 
treat ;  they  collect  a  great  quantity  of  grass,  straw,  sticks,  &c.  with 
which  they  form  a  heap,  that  at  first  seems  very  irregularly  con- 
structed, but  a  closer  examination  discovers  much  art  and  skill.  Be- 
neath the  domes  or  little  hillocks  that  cover  them,  and  which  are 
always  so  contrived  as  to  throw  off  the  water,  there  are  passages  which 
comtiiunicate  together,  and  may  be  considered  as  the  streets  of  their 
little  city. 

But  what  is  still  more  remarkable  is  the  care  which  the  ants  take 
of  their  eggs  ;  they  convey  them  with  the  utmost  solicitude  from 
place  to  place,  nourish  their  young,  and  remove  with  the  tenderest 
anxiety  every  thing  that  might  hurt  them.  Their  painful  toils  to 
procure  provisions  during  the  summer  are  chiefly  for  the  preservation 
of  their  young;  for  the  ants  themselves  require  no  food  during  the 
winter,  being  nearly  in  a  state  of  insensibility  or  sleep  till  the  return 
of  the  spring.  As  soon  as  their  young  come  out  of  the  eggs,  the 
ants  are  busily  employed  in  feeding  them,  and  undergo  much  labour 
in  the  precious  charge.  They  have  generally  several  habitations, 
and  they  transport  their  young  from  one  to  another  they  may  wish  to 
people.  According  as  the  weather  is  cold  or  hot,  wet  or  dry,  they 
bring  their  chrysals  nearer  to  the  surface  of  the  earth,  or  remove  them 
farther  downward.  In  mild  weather  they  bring  them  near  the  sur- 
face ;  and  sometimes  after  a  shower  of  rain  place  them  where  they 
may  receive  the  warmth  of  the  sun-beams  :  or  after  a  long  drought 
they  lay  them  in  the  dew  ;  but  as  the  shades  of  night  deepen,  or 
rain  and  cold  set  in,  they  again  take  up  their  little  ones,  and  carry 
them  low  down  in  the  earth. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  these  insects:  the  wood-ants  only  in- 
habit forests  or  bushes,  and  do  no  harm  to  the  fields  ;  of  these  there 
are  two  species,  one  red,  the  other  black.  Some  of  them  settle  in  the 
ground,  in  dry  soils,  generally  choosing  those  places  where  they  find 
roots  of  fir-trees  or  birch.  Others  inhabit  old  trunks  of  trees  above 
ground,  and  sufficiently  high  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  its  moisture  ; 
they  make  themselves  apartments  in  the  cavities  of  the  trunk,  and 
cover  them  with  straw  and  other  materials  to  shelter  them  from  snow 
and  rain. 

The  field-ants  are  also  red  or  black,  like  the  others,  but  they  are 
smaller  in  size  ;  they  either  live  among  the  coi-n  or  in  the  soil  of  the 
field.  When  the  weather  is  dry  they  bury  themseh^es  pretty  deep ; 
but  as  soon  as  it  becomes  rainy,  they  raise  their  habitations,  according 
as  there  is  more  or  less  moisture,  and  when  it  diminishes  they  return 
to  their  subterranean  dweUings.  Ants  are  also  furnished  with  wings, 
and  toward?  the  autumn  they  are  seen  to  fly  in  swarms  over  ditches 
and  ponds. 

Some  people  may  perhaps  think  that  these  mischievous  ants  can 
deserve  no  portion  of  our  attention,  when  they  do  so  much  injury  to 
our  fields,  by  their  subterranean  works  making  the  ground  hollow, 
and  preventing  vegetables  from  growing.    Other  complaints  are  also 


248 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


alleged  against  them  ;  they  are  enemies  to  bees  and  silk-wonns,  and 
are  supposed  to  injure  flowers  and  young  trees.  Hence  the  ants  are 
generally  exterminated  whenever  they  are  found.  But  whatever  are 
their  powers  of  doing  mischief,  they  certainly,  as  a  link  of  the  great 
chain  of  animal  nature,  claim  our  attention,  and  are  worthy  of  our 
observation.  They  supply  various  birds  with  food,  and  afford  a  very 
useful  example  of  industry,  whilst  their  parental  affection  for  their 
little  ones  is  highly  worthy  of  imitation.  Thus  we  still  find  that  every 
work  of  God  is  excellent  and  worthy  of  our  admiration,  however  in- 
significant or  injurious,  upon  a  superficial  examination,  they  may 
appear.  *The  supreme  Creator,  by  whom  all  things  exist,  has  cre- 
ated nothing  without  design,  nothing  that  has  not  its  particular  use 
and  destination.  The  trees  have  not  a  leaf,  the  fields  a  single  blade 
of  grass,  nor  the  flowers  a  stamen,  that  is  useless.' 


JULY  X. 

HAIL. 

Hail  is  nothing  more  than  drops  of  rain,  which,  being  congealed  in 
the  air,  fall  in  a  spherical,  oblong,  or  angular  form.  Should  it  seem 
strange  that  vapours  freeze  in  the  atmosphere  during  the  warmest 
season  of  the  year,  we  must  consider  that  even  at  the  time  of  the 
greatest  heat,  the  upper  region  of  (he  atmosphere  is  very  cold.  If 
this  were  not  the  case,  how  could  the  highest  mountains  remain  co- 
vered with  snow  during  the  summer?  In  the  hottest  regions  of  Ameri- 
ca it  is  so  cold  on  the  top  of  very  high  mountains  that  there  is  a  danger 
of  being  frozen,  if  any  one  is  so  adventurous  as  to  climb  their  lofty 
summits ;  and  we  should  have  snow  in  the  middle  of  summer,  if  it 
did  not  melt  during  its  fall  before  it  arrived  at  the  ground.  When 
the  particles  of  snow  unite,  the  drops  begin  to  congeal ;  and  as  during 
their  descent  they  pass  suddenly  through  warmer  regions  of  air,  be- 
fore the  increase  of  temperature  has  had  time  to  operate,  they  are 
completely  frozen. 

It  might  on  the  contrary  be  supposed,  that  the  cold  would  dimi- 
nish in  proportion  as  they  pass  through  warmer  air  ;  but  what  takes 
place  in  winter,  when  cold  water  which  has  been  exposed  to  the  open 
air  is  brought  into  a  warm  room  1  It  freezes  and  becomes  ice,  which 
would  not  have  been  the  case  if  it  had  been  taken  into  a  cold 
room.  And  this  is  exactly  the  case  with  hail ;  when  cold  bodies 
suddenly  pass  into  a  warm  medium,  their  cold  augments  to  such  a 
degree  that  they  are  converted  into  ice.  Saline  particles  diffused 
through  the  atmosphere  contribute  to  this  effect :  hence  we  must 
not  be  surprised  that  storms  are  not  always  accompanied  with  hail ; 
for  to  produce  it,  a  quantity  of  saline  vapours  is  necessary  to  occasion 
the  drops  of  water  to  freeze  more  instantaneously.  Though  hail  is 
most  frequent  in  summer,  it  falls  also  in  the  other  seasons ;  for  as 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


249 


saline  exhalations  exist  in  every  season  of  the  year,  there  may  be 
hail  in  winter,  spring,  or  autumn,  as  well  as  in  summer. 

The  size  and  form  of  hail  are  not  always  alike  :  hail-stones  are 
sometimes  round,  at  others  concave  and  half  spherical,  and  often  coni- 
cal and  angular ;  their  usual  size  is  that  of  small  shot,  though  some- 
times they  are  much  larger.  This  difference  in  their  figure  and  bulk 
may  depend  upon  accidental  causes,  such  as  winds,  especially  those 
which  are  boisterous  :  and  a  particle  of  hail  may  meet  in  its  fall  with 
substances  with  which  it  unites,  and  thus  its  volume  become  in- 
creased ;  and  sometimes  several  small  particles  unite  and  form  one 
large  hail-stone. 

When  the  hail  is  of  a  very  large  size,  it  often  causes  immense 
damage  to  the  harvest,  fruits,  vines,  and  buildings.  But  this  by  no 
means  entitles  us  to  consider  it  as  a  curse  or  a  judgment  of  God  ;  for 
if  the  violence  of  this  meteor  sometimes  lays  waste  our  fields  and 
breaks  our  windows,  the  ravages  it  occasions  are  nothing  in  compari- 
son of  the  advantages  which  it  produces.  It  cools  the  air  during  the 
fervent  summer  heats,  and  when  it  dissolves  fertilizes  the  earth  : 
hence  we  have  no  reason  to  fear  its  falling  from  the  clouds,  but  should 
rather  consider  its  beneficial  consequences,  and  glorify  that  heavenly 
Being  who,  in  the  midst  of  hail  and  of  storms,  still  worketh  our  good, 
and  provideth  for  our  felicity. 


JULY  XI. 

THE  UTILITY  OF  STORMS. 

We  ought  always  to  consider  the  phenomena  of  nature  in  such  a 
light  as  to  impress  upon  our  minds  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  ; 
and  this  duty  is  the  more  indispensable,  because  it  is  often  neglected 
by  inattentive,  ignorant,  and  ungrateful  people.  It  is  true  that  God 
sometimes  makes  use  of  natural  phenomena  to  punish  the  sins  of 
man  ;  but  these  particular  instances  do  not  disprove  that  he  always 
proposes  and  has  in  view  the  general  welfare  of  all ;  and  of  this,  na- 
ture furnishes  us  with  abundant  examples  and  incontestable  proofs. 
In  this  day's  reflection  we  will  confine  our  attention  to  a  single  phe- 
nomenon, which  is  particularly  suited  to  convince  us  of  the  above 
proposition,  and  upon  which  our  ideas  ought  to  be  very  clear. 

Are  not  the  greater  part  of  mankind  accustomed  from  early  infancy 
to  pronounce  the  words  thunder  and  lightning  with  terror?  Such  is 
our  injustice,  that  we  only  think  of  the  extremely  rare  cases  in  which 
storms  are  fatal  to  a  very  small  part  of  the  universe  ;  whilst  we  shut 
our  eyes  to  the  great  advantages  which  result  from  them  to  the  to- 
tality of  mankind.  We  are  not  able  to  enumerate  all  the  benefits  we 
derive  from  storms ;  but  the  few  that  we  are  acquainted  with  will 
sufl5ce  to  fill  our  hearts  with  gratitude  to  our  heavenly  Benefactor. 

Let  us  present  to  our  minds  the  idea  of  an  atmosphere  charged 

2G 


250 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


with  noxious  and  pestilential  vapours,  which  become  more  and  more 
dense  by  the  continual  evaporation  from  earthly  substances,  of  which 
many  are  prutrescent  and  poisonous ;  this  air  we  are  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  breathing  ;  the  preservation  or  the  destruction  of  our  exist- 
ence depends  upon  it ;  and  thus  the  salubrity  or  insalubrity  of  the 
air  dispenses  life  or  death.  Most  of  us  have  experienced  a  state  of 
great  oppression  and  languor  during  the  stifling  heat  of  summer ; 
when  our  respiration  is  difficult,  and  we  labour  under  great  uneasi- 
ness and  anxiety.  Must  it  not  then  be  considered  as  a  great  blessing 
of  God,  and  deserving  of  our  warmest  gratitude,  that  a  salutary  storm 
arises  and  purifies  the  air  of  its  noxious  properties ;  kindles  the  sul- 
phureous particles,  and  thus  prevents  their  dangerous  effects ;  cools 
the  air,  and  by  restoring  its  elasticity  facilitates  respiration. 

Without  an  occasional  storm  the  impure  exhalations  would  be  more 
and  more  increased  and  prejudicial ;  animals  would  perish  by  thou- 
sands, and  an  universal  plague  would  desolate  the  earth.  Which 
then  is  the  most  rational,  to  rejoice  or  repine  at  the  presence  of  storms? 
To  murmur  at  the  slight  damage  they  sometimes  occasion,  or  to  bless 
the  Almighty  for  the  precious  advantages  they  procure  to  the  world  1 
Besides,  not  only  men  and  animals  derive  much  benefit  from  the  at- 
mosphere being  purified  from  its  noxious  vapours,  but  it  is  also  highly 
advantageous  to  vegetables.  Experience  teaches  us  that  the  rai» 
which  falls  during  a  thunder-storm  is  productive  of  the  greatest  fer- 
tility to  the  earth.  The  saline  and  sulphureous  particles  which  fill  the 
atmosphere  during  a  storm  are  drawn  down  by  the  rain,  and  become 
an  excellent  source  of  nourishment  to  plants  ;  to  say  nothing  of  the 
immense  multitude  of  little  worms,  seeds,  and  insects,  which  are 
forced  into  the  earth  by  the  rain,  and  which  by  the  assistance  of  a 
microscope  may  be  easily  discovered  in  the  drops  of  water. 

Reflections  like  these  may  perhaps  tend  to  moderate  the  excessive 
fear  some  people  have  of  thunder,  a  fear  which  denotes  the  little  con- 
fidence they  place  in  God.  Instead  of  suffering  a  storm  to  possess  our 
minds  with  terrific  and  fearful  ideas,  let  us  rather  accustom  ourselves 
to  consider  it  as  an  object  of  grandeur  and  sublimity ;  instead  of  re- 
garding the  accidents  caused  by  thunder,  let  us  only  observe  the  ne- 
cessity and  great  utility  of  storms;  and,  instead  of  praying  the  Al- 
mighty to  withhold  the  tempest,  let  us  beseech  him  to  suffer  it  from 
time  to  time  to  descend  upon  the  earth,  or  let  us  rather  entirely  rely 
upon  the  mercy  and  goodness  of  Him  who  rules  over  the  universe  in 
wisdom,  and  knows  what  is  best  for  us.  Every  time  the  storm  shall 
lower  and  the  thunder  peal,  let  us  say  from  our  hearts,  in  the  fulness 
of  our  confidence,  Almighty  God !  it  is  thou  who  commandest  the 
elements,  and  directest  the  lightning  ;  we  are  in  thy  hands  ;  thou 
alone  canst  save ;  thou  alone  canst  destroy.  At  thy  word  the  storm 
shall  desolate  our  fields,  or  make  them  fruitful.  Thou  alone  art  great, 
and  thy  power  is  inexpressible :  but  we  are  thy  weak  and  helpless  chil- 
dren, and  thou  art  to  us  a  father  of  mercy  and  of  love  ;  and  when  thy 
voice  is  heard  in  thunder,  and  thy  countenance  seen  in  the  winged 
lightning,  it  is  still  for  our  good.    Blessed  for  ever  be  thy  holy  name ; 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


251 


let  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  raise  one  universal  Hallelujah,  the  nnusic 
of  which  shall  be  heard  in  heaven  ! 


JULY  XIL 

OF  THE  EARTH,  AND  ITS  PRIMITIVE  CONSTITUTION. 

The  earth  is  so  constituted  as  to  be  fit  for  the  production  and  growth 
of  herbs,  plants,  and  trees.  It  is  sufficiently  compact  for  vegetables 
to  grow  in  it,  so  firm  that  the  wind  does  not  blow  them  down;  and 
yet  it  is  so  light  and  moveable  that  plants  may  put  forth  their  roots  in 
it,  and  attract  humidity  and  nutritive  juices.  When  even  the  surface 
of  the  earth  is  dry  and  parched,  its  lightness  faciUtates  the  rising  of 
the  juices  in  the  capillary  vessels  to  provide  plants  with  their  neces- 
sary support.  Besides  this,  the  earth  is  full  of  different  kinds  of  juices, 
which  tend  to  promote  the  growth  of  plants  :  and  that  every  species 
of  vegetables  may  flourish,  we  find  there  are  different  sorts  of  earth, 
which  answer  different  purposes  ;  such  as  potters'  earth,  argillaceous, 
calcareous,  &c.  Some  are  used  to  make  bricks,  others  to  construct 
buildings,  and  form  earthenware  and  porcelain,  and  some  are  used 
to  dye  colours,  and  for  medicine.'* 

The  inequalities  on  the  earth's  surface  are  of  great  utility  :  many 
plants  and  animals  inhabit  the  mountains  ;  and  these  lofty  eminences 
also  serve  to  break  the  violence  of  the  winds,  and  produce  a  great  va- 
riety of  plants  and  wholesome  fruits  which  would  not  thrive  in  the 
valleys  or  on  the  plains  ;  they  contain  useful  metals  and  fossils,  and 
from  them  proceed  the  sources  of  many  rivers  produced  by  the  melt- 
ing of  the  snow,  by  rains,  and  different  watery  exhalations.  The 
stones  which  are  in  the  earth  serve  to  build  walls  and  make  glass. 
The  uses  of  metals  are  extremely  various  ;  we  need  only  consider  the 
many  tools  they  furnish  to  our  workmen  and  artists,  the  numerous 
utensils  and  the  furniture  that  are  made  of  them,  and  the  many  orna- 
ments and  -conveniences  we  derive  from  them.  We  also  obtain  great 
advantages  from  the  solidity  and  weight  of  these  bodies. 

The  great  utility  of  minerals  is  generally  known.  Volcanoes  and 
earthquakes,  however  they  may  sometimes  devastate  a  country,  are 
useful  and  necessary ;  and  we  must  impute  it  to  our  ignorance  if  there 
are  many  things  whose  use  we  cannot  discover.  When  we  see  cer- 
tain phenomena  in  nature  which  are  sometimes  prejudicial,  we  should 
always  remember  that  God  only  permits  them  to  happen  for  the  per- 
fection and  good  of  the  whole  ;  and  rightly  to  judge  of  his  works,  we 
must  not  consider  them  partially,  but  take  a  wide  and  extensive  sur- 
vey of  all  the  parts  of  a  whole,  and  examine  them  both  separately 
and  combined.    We  shall  then  find  that  many  things  which  we 

♦  The  different  earths  at  present  known  are  ten :  barytes,  strontian,  lime,  magnesia, 
alumina,  yttria,  glucina,  mconia,  agustina,  and  silicia. — E. 


252 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


thought  were  injurious,  are  on  the  contrary  of  an  incontestable  utility; 
and  others  which  appear  superfluous,  we  should  find  to  be  necessary 
to  the  perfection  of  the  whole,  and  their  removal  would  occasion  a 
chasm  in  the  empire  of  nature.  How  many  things  are  there  which 
appear  to  us  insignificant  and  of  little  worth,  because  from  our  ig- 
norance we  are  not  acquainted  with  their  use  and  true  worth  1  Give 
n  magnet  to  a  man  unacquainted  with  its  virtue,  and  he  will  disre- 
gard it  entirely,  or  consider  it  with  indifference;  but  inform  him  that 
by  means  of  this  little  instrument  the  greatest  quarter  of  the  globe  was 
discovered,  and  that  men  securely  traverse  the  ocean  with  no  other 
guide,  his  opinion  will  immediately  change,  and  he  will  prize  as  much 
as  he  befoie  contemned  it.  And  this  instance  is  applicable  to  thou- 
sands of  cases,  where  we  despise  the  means  because  we  are  ignorant 
of  the  end,  where  we  disregard  the  object  because  we  do  not  know  its 
use.  Lord  !  the  earth  is  full  of  thy  goodness  ;  all  is  arranged  with 
wisdom  !  May  we  consider  it  as  our  chief  duty  to  apply  ourselves  more 
and  more  to  know  thee ;  and  to  pay  thee  that  just  tribute  of  grati- 
tude and  love  which  we  owe  thee  for  the  various  blessings  we  derive 
from  the  earth. 


JULY  XIIL 

PHASES  OF  THE  MOOK. 


It  has  been  ascertained  by  attentive  observation  that  the  moon  has 
a  peculiar  motion  round  the  earth  from  west  to  east ;  for  after  having 
been  between  our  earth  and  the  sun,  she  retires  from  under  that  body, 
and  continues  to  fall  back  towards  the  east,  changing  from  day  to  day 
her  place  of  rising.  In  fifteen  days  she  will  have  reached  the  most 
eastern  extremity  of  the  horizon,  at  the  time  we  see  the  sun  set ;  she 
is  then  said  to  be  in  opposition  :  in  the  evening  when  the  sun  retires, 
she  rises  above  our  horizon  ;  and  sets  in  the  morning  as  the  sun  rises. 
If  she  then  continues  to  traverse  the  circle  which  she  has  begun  round 
the  earth,  and  the  half  of  which  she  has  accomplished,  she  will  visi- 
bly remove  more  from  her  point  of  opposition  with  the  sun,  and  will 
gradually  approach  nearer  to  him  ;  we  shall  then  see  her  later  than 
when  in  opposition,  till  by  degrees  she  will  only  be  seen  a  little  before 
sun-rise.  This  revolution  of  the  moon  round  the  earth  explains  why 
she  rises  and  sets  at  different  times,  and  why  her  phases  are  so  diverse 
and  yet  so  regular.  Nobody  is  ignorant  that  a  globe  illuminated  by 
the  sun,  or  by  a  torch,  can  only  receive  its  light  immediately  upon 
one  side.  We  are  readily  convinced  that  the  moon  is  a  sphere  which 
receives  its  light  from  the  sun  ;  when  therefore  she  is  in  conj  unct  ion, 
that  is,  placed  between  the  sun  and  us,  her  illuminated  half  is  turned 
towards  him,  and  her  dark  part  towards  us ;  consequently,  at  that 
time  she  is  invisible  to  us  :  she  then  rises  and  sets  with  the  sun  in  the 
same  regions  of  the  sky,  and  is  called  new  moon,  or  the  conjunction. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


253 


But  when  the  moon  retires  from  under  the  sun,  and  passes  back  to- 
wards the  east,  her  darl^  side  is  not  then  entirely  turned  towards  us  : 
a  small  portion,  a  slight  border,  of  the  illuminated  disk  comes  in 
view  ;  and  we  see  this  luminous  border  upon  the  right,  near  the  set- 
ting sun  ;  and  the  horns  of  this  crescent  turn  towards  the  left,  or 
facing  the  east.  As  the  moon  removes  farther  from  the  sun,  she  be- 
comes more  visible  ;  and  at  the  end  of  seven  days,  when  arrived  at  a 
-  quarter  of  her  course  round  the  earth,  she  displays  more  and  more  of 
her  illumined  side,  till  at  length  we  see  the  half  of  it.  The  luminous 
part  is  then  turned  towards  the  sun,  and  the  dark  part  reflects  no 
light  upon  us.  This  luminous  part  is  exactly  half  the  lunar  sphere : 
the  half  of  this  half  is  then  a  quarter  of  the  whole  sphere,  and  is  in 
reality  this  quarter  which  we  see  ;  and  the  moon  is  then  said  to  be  in 
her  first  quarter. 

In  proportion  as  the  moon  becomes  more  distant  from  the  sun,  and 
the  earth  advances  between  them,  a  greater  surface  of  that  part  of 
the  moon  which  is  directed  towards  us  becomes  luminous.  At  the 
end  of  seven  days,  reckoning  from  the  first  quarter,  she  is  nearly  in 
opposition  with  the  sun,  and  her  whole  disk  is  illumined,  and  visible 
to  us.  She  then  rises  in  the  east  precisely  at  the  time  the  sun  sets 
in  the  west,  and  we  have  a  full  moon.  As  early  as  the  next  day,  the 
enlightened  half  is  turned  a  little  from  us,  and  we  no  longer  see  the 
moon  at  the  full.  The  light  gradually  leaves  the  western  side,  ex- 
tending itself  to  the  half  which  is  turned  from  the  earth  :  this  is  the 
decrease  of  the  moon,  and  the  farther  she  advances  forward,  the  more 
her  dark  part  increases,  till  at  length  half  of  it  is  turned  towards  the 
earth,  and  consequently  half  her  luminous  side ;  she  has  then  the 
form  of  a  semicircle,  and  is  in  her  last  quarter. 

By  the  admirable  harmony  which  subsists  between  the  revolution 
of  this  planet  upon  its  axis,  and  its  course  round  the  sun,  it  happens 
that  the  moon  always  presents  to  us  the  same  half-sphere  that  she 
has  shown  from  her  first  creation.  During  the  lapse  of  so  many  ages, 
she  has,  in  one  regular  and  constant  course,  completed  her  revolution 
in  twenty-seven  days  and  eight  hours.  Regularly  and  at  the  same 
periods  she  has  enlightened  at  one  time  our  nights,  and  at  another 
those  of  more  distant  chmates. 

From  the  revolutions  of  the  moon,  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  those 
of  terrestrial  objects.  Sometimes  health,  pleasure,  and  affluence, 
with  a  thousand  other  advantages,  concur  to  render  us  happy,  and  a 
luminous  tract  marks  our  progress  through  life.  But  a  reverse  hap- 
pens :  and  ere  the  sun  that  rose  upon  us  in  the  morning  with  joy  and 
gladness  sinks  beneath  the  western  ocean,  our  light  is  obscured,  and 
nought  remains  but  the  bitter  remembrance  of  departed  pleasures ; 
hope  no  more  gilds  our  bosom,  and  all  our  thoughts  are  turned  to 
sorrow.  Yet  this  change  is  highly  useful  to  the  mind  :  it  teaches  us 
the  uncertainty  of  worldly  blessings,  softens  and  ameliorates  our 
/  hearts,  and  raises  in  our  souls  a  fond  desire  after  that  happy  country 
where  the  free  mind  shall  rejoice  in  its  existence,  and  hve  for  ever  in- 
creasing in  purity  and  all  perfection. 

82 


254 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JULY  XIV. 

MINERAL  WATERS. 

Whether  we  consider  mineral  waters  in  respect  to  their  formation, 
or  to  their  utiHty  to  man,  they  are  doubtless  highly  valuable  and  im- 
portant. But  men  are  generally  too  inattentive  to  such  subjects  ;  and 
the  places  where  these  sources  of  hfe  and  health  flow  in  abundance, 
are  often  the  scenes  of  very  different  occupations  than  those  of  sing- 
ing praises  to  the  Creator,  and  pouring  forth  the  sentiments  of  grati- 
tude for  such  choice  blessings. 

The  sources  of  common  salt  are  richly  deserving  of  our  attention  ; 
it  is  probable  that  they  owe  their  origin  to  the  mineral  salt  which  the 
waters  dissolve  in  the  earth.  The  mineral  hot  springs  are  equally 
remarkable.  They  are  very  numerous  ;  and  the  water  of  some  of 
them  is  so  hot,  that  they  require  several  hours  to  become  cool  enough 
to  be  used  as  a  bath.  It  is  a  curious  question,  whence  their  heat  is 
derived.  It  cannot  be  from  the  sun,  because  in  that  case  the  waters 
would  only  be  hot  in  the  day-time,  whilst  exposed  to  the  sunbeams ; 
and  they  would  become  cooler  on  the  approach  of  night,  and  during  the 
winter.  The  most  natural  solution  of  this  question  is,  that  the  waters, 
by  passing  through  soils  containing  sulphureous,  pyritic,  and  metallic 
substances,  acquire  their  great  degree  of  heat.  Medicinal  waters, 
particularly  those  which  are  acidulous,  are  produced  by  dissolving  and 
mixing  with  the  minerals  that  they  pass  over.  They  are  generally 
found  in  places  where  there  is  abundance  of  iron,  copper,  sulphur, 
and  carbon.  Hence  their  taste  and  effects  are  various,  according  as 
they  are  more  or  less  impregnated  with  these  bodies.  They  are  bit- 
ter when  they  contain  the  juices  of  bitter  roots,  salts,  and  copper ; 
they  are  cold  when  impregnated  with  sal  ammoniac,  nitre,  alum,  &c. 
or  when  they  issue  from  the  bed  of  a  rock.  Unctuous  and  bitumi- 
nous substances  impart  to  them  a  degree  of  oiliness ;  and  sulphur 
combined  with  an  acid  renders  them  sulphureous.  Let  us  then  ad- 
mire the  inexhaustible  riches  of  that  divine  goodness  which  has  pre- 
pared for  the  benefit  of  man  so  many  unfailing  sources  of  health. 
Mineral  waters  may  answer  many  other  purposes,  but  certainly  their 
great  and  chief  use  is  the  preservation  and  health  of  man.  Let  us, 
then,  and  more  particularly  those  who  have  experienced  the  salu- 
brious effects  of  these  springs,  rejoice  and  be  thankful  for  the  nume- 
rous blessings  of  Heaven ;  and  you  that  are  able  endeavour  to  imi- 
tate the  purest  of  all  Beings,  by  making  your  riches  the  sources  of 
life  and  consolation  to  the  needy  and  afflicted  children  of  poverty. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


255 


JULY  XV. 

CONTINUED  ACTIVITY  OF  NATURE  IN  THE  VEGETABLE  KINGDOM. 

Whoever  is  desirous  of  knowing  why  Nature  is  never  idle  through- 
out the  year,  need  only  consider  the  numerous  advantages  that  result 
from  her  constant  activity.  The  vegetable  kingdom  supplies  animals 
with  a  great  part  of  their  food,  and  affords  the  mind  pleasure  by  its 
great  diversity.  The  beneficent  Creator  ordered  that  nature  should 
conduce  to  the  pleasure  as  well  as  the  support  of  man  :  hence  plants 
do  not  appear  all  at  once,  but  in  a  certain  succession ;  for  if  this  was 
not  the  case,  they  could  not  produce  such  beneficial  consequences. 
How  would  men  be  able  to  secure  their  harvests,  if  all  fruits  arrived 
at  maturity  in  the  same  season  ]  And  what  would  become  of  many- 
millions  of  animals  that  had  not  the  means  of  laying  up  stores  1  How 
could  the  numerous  species  of  insects  that  live  upon  flowers  exist,  if 
they  all  grew  at  the  same  time,  and  lived  but  for  a  month  or  two  1 
For  though  many  insects  cannot  be  found  during  the  winter,  they  still 
live  in  a  torpid  state,  and  come  forth  as  soon  as  the  returning  warmth 
renders  them  lively. 

It  is  then  very  clear,  that  if  nature  was  differently  arranged, 
both  men  and  animals  would  materially  suffer,  if  not  entirely  pe- 
rish ;  and  we  may  justly  conclude  that  it  is  for  their  preservation 
that  nature  operates  with  such  a  constant  activity  in  the  vegetable 
kingdom. 

If  we  reflect  upon  the  pleasures  of  vision  and  of  smell,  which  men 
so  eminently  enjoy,  we  shall  also  find  that  to  promote  these  it  was 
necessary  that  nature  should  have  her  present  arrangement.  It  was 
not  only  requisite  that  she  should  display  her  flowers  in  all  their 
beauty,  but  also  that  she  should  afford  a  constant  supply  throughout 
the  year,  that  our  enjoyment  might  never  cease.  In  spring,  when 
we  go  forth  into  the  country  to  contemplate  the  different  productions 
that  are  growing  up  for  our  future  nourishment,  we  see  the  young 
buds  and  the  trees  gradually  unfolding  their  beauties.  As  summer 
advances,  and  the  tender  corn  begins  to  shoot  into  ear,  a  thousand 
beautiful  flowers  mingle  their  charms  in  a  sweet  succession  of  varied 
gayety  ;  and  at  length,  when  the  wintry  blast  blows  cold,  and  makes 
the  fireside  comfortable,  nature  produces  other  vegetables,  which, 
though  not  so  striking  to  the  sight,  are  still  very  useful. 

From  all  this  it  appears  that  the  chief  design  of  the  Creator  in  this 
happy  arrangement  of  nature,  is  the  advantage  and  well-being  of 
man.  Every  thing  is  so  admirably  regulated,  that  men,  as  well  as 
other  animals,  gain  an  adequate  supply  of  nourishment.  Every  sea- 
son brings  forth  its  peculiar  flowers  and  fruits,  each  appearing  in  its 
appointed  time  :  as  one  gradually  decays  and  perishes,,  another  comes 
forth  in  youthful  beauty  ;  and  the  many  thousands  of  plants  which 
we  see  all  follow  the  same  law.  Every  thing  that  bears  the  stamp 
of  Grod's  creation,  is  formed  in  the  same  regular  and  wise  order. 


256 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


though  the  weakness  of  our  intellect  sometimes  prevents  our  disco- 
vering their  real  purpose  and  design. 

Let  us  then  for  ever  bless  our  Creator,  and  render  unto  him  all 
glory  and  honour ;  acknowledging  in  humble  reverence  and  with 
grateful  hearts,  that  in  all  tlie  revolutions  which  agitate  the  vast  em- 
pire of  nature,  whether  in  the  animal  or  the  vegetable  creation,  He 
proposes  only  our  good,  and  more  perfect  happiness;  and  then  when 
we  joyfully  walk  abroad  into  the  flowery  meads,  and  contemplate 
nature's  ever-varying  beauties,  we  shall  only  breathe  the  language  of 
gratitude  and  love,  and  our  souls  will  approach  nearer  to  the  purity 
and  ethereal  essence  of  the  all-perfect  God. 


JULY  XVL 

BEAUTY  AND  USE  OF  MEADOWS. 

The  sight  of  a  fine  and  well-cultivated  garden,  in  these  summer 
days,  is  highly  pleasing,  and  forms  a  gratification  of  which  those 
people  who  remain  shut  up  in  their  houses  can  have  no  conception. 
But  to  the  true  lover  of  nature,  a  regular  and  beautifully  disposed 
garden  has  no  charms  equal  to  those  of  the  valleys  smihng  in  rustic 
simphcity  ;  the  proudly-bearing  tulip,  the  elegant  narcissus,  and  the 
beauteous  hyacinth,  must  yield  to  the  sweet  Uttle  flowers  that  mo- 
destly raise  their  heads  amid  their  native  fields.  Whilst  the  former 
only  please  by  their  beauty,  these  often  combine  with  simple  charms 
an  evident  utility,  which  continues  to  gratify  when  beauty  is  no  more. 
Do  we  not,  in  those  long  and  straight  gravel  walks,  so  uniform  and 
neat — in  those  clumps  of  trees,  those  arbours  and  beds  of  flowers  so 
regularly  formed,  and  borders  neatly  cut,  with  high  walls  and  enclo- 
sures surrounding  all — feel  a  degree  of  confinement  that  is  irksome, 
and  restriction  that  is  unpleasant  1  Whatever  limits  our  view  seems 
to  set  bounds  to  our  liberty,  and  we  long  to  range  abroad  in  the  open 
fields  and  meadows,  where  no  dead  wall  shall  obstruct  our  prospect, 
nor  uniform  enclosure  pain  our  sight.  In  proportion  as  our  range  of 
nature  is  wide  and  extensive,  our  independence  seems  to  increase, 
and  we  delight  to  roam  at  ease,  in  careless  thought  or  in  musing  con- 
templation. 

The  beauties  of  a  garden  are  soon  observed,  and  when  their  no- 
velty is  over,  half  their  charms  are  lost :  the  eye  becomes  weary  of 
surveying  the  same  objects  ;  little  pleasure  can  be  derived  from  con- 
tinually viewing  the  uniformity  of  shrubs  ever  seen  in  the  same  place, 
or  contemplating  plants  whose  variety  may  be  explored  in  an  hour  ; 
we  pass  up  one  walk  and  come  down  another,  and  if  we  cannot  dis- 
cover a  third,  measure  back  our  steps,  and  are  not  sorry  when  we  are 
permitted  to  retire  :  whilst  in  the  open  champaign  the  aspect  of  nature 
is  ever  changing,  the  eye  fondly  stretches  far  on  the  horizon's  distant 
tipundary,  and  when  the  lawn  can  no  longer  be  distinguished  from  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


257 


sky,  imagination  lends  lier  aid,  and  we  dwell  with  rapture  upon  a 
picture  which  art  cannot  imitate.  Our  pleasure  is  farther  increased 
by  that  inequality  of  surface  which  we  every  where  observe  through- 
out nature ;  from  the  stupendous  mountain's  crag,  where  the  bleak 
wind  whistles,  to  the  sheltered  valley.  She  is  her  own  gardener,  and 
is  never  weary  with  labouring  ;  her  seeds  and  fruits  are  exhaustless, 
and  her  verdure  is  only  interrupted  to  return  with  fresher  beauty  ;  her 
streams  overflow  and  renew  the  parched  and  drooping  herbs,  and  each 
of  these  has  a  seed,  blossom,  and  beauty,  pecuhar  to  itself.  For 
though  the  same  species  of  herb  may  be  very  abundant  in  every  field, 
we  can  scarcely  step  without  meeting  with  a  great  variety  differing  in 
figure  and  properties,  and  presenting  us  not  merely  with  beauty  and 
diversity,  but  also  with  very  great  and  indispensable  benefits.  The 
fields  produce  plants  for  our  nourishment  when  we  are  well,  and  for 
our  reUef  when  sick.  They  also  support  those  animals  whose  use  we 
could  not  dispense  with  :  such  as  the  ox,  upon  which  we  feed,  and 
whose  services  are  used  in  agriculture  ;  the  horse,  whose  uses  are  so 
numerous  and  various ;  and  the  cow,  whose  milk  is  so  nourishing. 
These,  with  many  other  useful  animals,  require  nothing  more  than 
the  grass  of  the  meadow,  which  demands  neither  sowing  nor  labour  ; 
its  produce  is  certain,  and  the  farmer  has  no  other  trouble  than  to  col% 
lect  what  nature  exuberantly  gives  him. 

But  it  is  melancholy  to  reflect  that  men  are  generally  too  much  ab^ 
ßorbed  in  worldly  cares  to  be  attentive  or  sensible  to  the  bounty  of  God 
lavished  in  nature  ;  they  see  with  indifference  the  fields  clothed  with 
grass  ;  whether  because  springing  up  under  their  feet  they  think  it  un- 
worthy of  notice,  or  because  it  grows  spontaneously  without  their 
assistance.  Whatever  be  the  cause  of  this  indifference,  it  is  a  re- 
proach to  the  human  character,  and  deserving  of  the  severest  repre- 
hension. Let  us  then  beseech  the  Almighty  Power,  to  whom  we  owe 
all  our  earthly  good  and  hopes  of  future  bliss,  that  when  we  walk 
forth  into  the  meadows  and  the  valleys,  our  hearts  may  be  grateful, 
and  softened  with  the  dew  of  heaven  ;  that  when  we  iDehold  all  the 
beautiful  variety  of  flowers  that  adorn  the  fields,  we  may  be  more  sen- 
sible to  the  goodness  of  God,  who  extends  his  omnipotent  arm  over 
the  whole  creation,  showering  down  his  blessings  as  from  a  never- 
failing,  never-dying  spring,  whose  silent  waters  exuberantly  pour 
upon  the  whole  earth, 


JULY  XVIL 

MORNING  TWILIGHT. 

Twilight,  Hke  every  other  phenomenon  of  nature,  is  doubtless  in- 
tended for  our  benefit.  It  is  nothing  more  than  a  prolongation  of  day, 
which  at  one  time  prepares  our  eyes  to  support  the  brilliancy  of  day, 
at  another  to  bear  the  darkness  of  night.    The  twilight  is  not  always 
22*  2H 


258 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  same  ;  it  differs  according  to  climate  and  season.  Towards  the 
poles  it  continues  longer  than  in  the  torrid  zone,  where  the  people  see 
the  sun  rise  directly  above  the  horizon,  and  dip  in  the  same  direction 
beneath  the  lower  hemisphere  ;  hence  they  suddenly  pass  from  the 
light  of  day  into  total  darkness.  Whilst,  on  the  contrary,  the  sun 
darting  his  rays  obliquely  towards  the  poles,  and  not  descending  far 
below  the  horizon  of  the  neighbouring  people,  it  happens,  that  their 
nights,  though  long,  are  almost  always  accompanied  by  twilight,  and 
therefore  are  in  some  degree  luminous. 

As  for  us,  who  are  placed  at  nearly  an  equal  distance  from  the 
inhabitants  of  the  torrid  and  those  of  the  frigid  zone,  we  plainly  observe 
that  the  twihght  becomes  sensibly  shorter  as  the  length  of  the  days 
diminishes,  and  longer  in  proportion  as  they  lengthen.  In  the  evening, 
after  the  sun  sets,  we  enjoy  an  hour,  and  sometimes  more,  of  twihght. 
This  useful  arrangement  is  owing  to  the  atmosphere,  which  to  a  cer- 
tain height  every  where  surrounds  the  earth.  And  such  is  its  nature, 
that  the  rays  of  hght  that  pass  through  it  perpendicularly  are  not 
diverted  from  their  straight  direction ;  but  when  the  rays  fall  obliquely 
instead  of  passing  in  right  lines,  they  bend  or  are  refracted,  descend- 
ing a  little  lower,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  greater  number  of  rays 
which  penetrate  the  atmosphere  on  the  side  of  the  earth,  fall  in  con- 
sequence of  this  inflection  upon  it ;  and  thus,  instead  of  passing  directly 
through  the  air,  they  are  bent  by  it  and  directed  towards  the  earth. 
Thus  when  the  sun  approaches  our  horizon,  many  of  his  rays  which 
pass  near  us  in  an  oblique  direction,  and  which  would  not  reach  us, 
meeting  the  volume  of  air  which  surrounds  our  earth,  become  refracted 
by  it,  so  as  to  affect  our  vision  in  such  a  way  that  we  see  daylight 
some  time  before  the  sun  appears. 

This  law  of  the  refraction  of  the  rays  of  light  in  the  surrounding 
mass  of  air,  is  a  work  equally  full  of  wisdom  and  goodness  towards  all 
the  people  of  the  earth  ;  and  more  particularly  so  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  frigid  zones,  who  without  the  blessing  of  twilight  would  be  for 
whole  months  in  a  state  of  total  darkness.  Perhaps  this  explanation 
of  the  origin  of  twihght  may  not  be  sufl[iciently  intelligible  to  many 
readers.  Recommending  such  as  these  to  consult  the  works  of  more 
enlightened  philosophers  for  fuller  information  on  the  subject,  let  us 
conclude  with  reflecting  upon  it  as  rational  beings  and  as  Christians. 
To  do  this  nothing  more  is  requisite  than  a  willing  mind  and  a  pure 
heart,  that  seeks  to  glorify  the  Father  of  mercy.  And  the  upright 
man  who,  however  unlettered  and  deficient  in  learning,  ever  finds 
cause  to  bless  the  Creator  in  his  works,  is  wiser  than  the  philosopher 
who,  intent  upon  explaining  and  investigating  the  phenomena  of 
nature,  loses  sight  of  that  great  Being  who  created  the  light  and 
formed  the  universe. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


259 


JULY  XVIII. 

RURAL  PLEASURES. 

Come,  and  let  us  enjoy  those  pleasures  which  are  only  tasted  by 
the  wise.  The  pure  light  of  the  sun  invites  us  into  the  fields,  where 
an  innocent  and  refined  joy  awaits  us.  Let  us  walk  into  some  flowery 
valley,  and  sing"  a  hymn  of  praise  to  our  Creator. 

See  the  breath  of  the  zephyr  gently  playing  upon  yon  hawthorn 
bush :  where  the  little  songsters  are  hopping  from  bough  to  bough, 
their  sprightly  eyes  beaming  joy,  and  their  soft  melody  w^arbling 
harmonious  love  ! 

Ye  tufted  groves,  ye  valleys,  and  ye  mountains,  so  peculiarly 
favoured  with  the  gifts  of  summer,  how  your  view  gratifies  and  delights 
the  pure  soul!  your  attractions  owe  nothing  to  art,  and  they  are  more 
excellent  than  the  proudest  beauties  of  the  garden. 

The  yellow  grain  waves  luxuriant,  and  invites  the  sickle  of  the 
joyful  reaper.  The  trees  crowned  with  leaves  overshadow  the  hills 
and  the  glens;  the  birds  rejoice  in  their  existence;  they  sing  their 
pleasures,  and  every  note  pours  forth  rapturous  joy. 

Each  year  renews  the  treasures  of  the  peaceful  husbandman; 
freedom  and  the  smile  of  happiness  lighten  his  serene  countenance, 
that  speaks  a  soul  at  ease.  Remote  from  the  iniquity,  the  pride,  the 
baseness,  and  sordid  cares,  which  enslave  and  render  callous  the  hearts 
of  those  who  herd  together  m  cities,  he  rises  to  inhale  the  sweet  breath 
of  morning,  and  lies  down  upon  his  humble  couch  at  peace  with  his 
God,  himself,  and  mankind. 


JULY  XIX. 

EVENING  TWILIGHT. 

The  evening  twihght  is  that  faint  light  which  after  sunset  con- 
tinues still  to  illumine  our  atmosphere,  particularly  towards  the  west. 
It  is  partly  occasioned  by  the  refraction  and  reflection  of  the  sun's 
rays  in  our  atmosphere,  and  in  part  by  the  proper  atmosphere  of  the 
sun,  which  is  known  by  the  names  of  zodiacal  light,  which  sometimes 
appears,  particularly  in  spring,  towards  the  evening,  and  in  autumn, 
towards  morning.  When  the  sky  is  clear  we  may  see  the  smallest 
stars  during  the  twilight;  which  continues  from  the  time  the  sun  has 
entirely  disappeared  till  dark  night,  generally  lasting  about  two  hours. 
In  the  island  of  Senegal,  where  the  nights  are  nearly  as  long  as  the 
days,  the  twilight  only  continues  a  few  moments  ;  the  interval 
between  sun-set  and  the  darkness  of  night  being  scarcely  a  quarter  of 
an  hour.  Thus  as  soon  as  the  sun  has  sunk  from  ten  to  fifteen  degrees 


260 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


below  the  horizon,  the  whole  country  is  immersed  in  the  profoundest 
darkness. 

In  our  climate  the  shortest  twilight  is  about  the  first  of  March  and 
the  eleventh  of  October.  When  the  northern  declination  of  the  sun 
is  such  that  he  only  passes  eighteen  degrees  below  the  horizon,  the 
twilight  continues  all  night.  And  this  is  the  reason  that  in  the  sum- 
mer solstice  we  have  in  these  climates  scarcely  any  night,  and  in  the 
more  northern  climates  they  have  no  night  at  all,  though  the  sun  is 
below  the  horizon.  This  occurs,  when  the  difference  between  the 
depression  of  the  equator  and  the  northern  declination  of  the  sun  is 
less  than  eighteen  degrees ;  and  takes  place  in  the  greater  part  of 
Germany  from  the  17th  of  May  to  the  25th  of  July. 

The  advantages  which  we  derive  from  twilight  are  very  evident. 
To  pass  at  once  from  broad  day  to  dark  night  would  be  very  incon- 
venient ;  such  a  sudden  change  from  light  to  darkness  would  hurt 
the  organs  of  vision.  The  wise  Author  of  nature  has  therefore  pre- 
vented these  inconveniences,  by  giving  us  an  atmosphere  which 
prevents  us  from  losing  the  light  suddenly,  although  the  sun  is  below 
the  horizon ;  and  thus,  by  means  of  the  twilight,  we  pass  by  insensi- 
ble degrees  from  the  light  of  day  to  the  obscurity  of  night. 


JULY  XX. 

THE  EPHEMERON  FLY. 

This  species  of  insect  is  named  ephemeron,  because  of  its  very  short 
existence  in  the  fly  state.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  species  of 
the  small  flies,  and  undergoes  five  changes.  At  first  the  egg  contains 
its  vital  principle  ;  it  then  comes  forth  a  small  caterpillar,  which  is 
transformed  into  a  chrysalis,  then  into  a  nympha,  and  lastly  into  a  fly, 
which  deposits  its  eggs  upon  the  surface  of  water,  where  the  sun's  rays 
bring  them  to  life.  Each  egg  produces  a  little  red  worm,  which 
moves  in  a  serpentine  manner.  They  are  found  in  abundance,  during 
the  summer,  in  ponds  and  marshes ;  and  as  soon  as  cold  weather  sets 
in,  the  little  worm  makes  for  itself  a  shell  or  lodging,  where  it  passes 
the  winter ;  at  the  end  of  which  it  ceases  to  be  a  worm,  and  enters 
into  its  third  state,  that  of  a  chrysalis.  In  this  state  it  sleeps  till  spring, 
and  gradually  becomes  a  beautiful  nympha,  or  a  sort  of  mummy, 
something  in  the  form  of  a  fish. 

At  the  time  of  its  metamorphosis  the  nympha  appears  inactive  and 
lifeless  ;  in  six  hours  the  head  is  visible,  raising  itself  gradually  above 
the  surface  of  the  water  ;  the  body  next  disengages  itself  slowly  and 
by  degrees,  till  at  length  the  whole  animal  comes  out  of  its  shell. 
The  new-born  fly  remains  for  some  minutes  motionless  upon  the 
water ;  then  gradually  revives,  and  feebly  shakes  its  wings ;  then 
moves  them  quicker,  and  attempts  first  to  walk,  then  to  fly.  As  these 
insects  are  all  hatched  nearly  at  the  same  time,  they  are  seen  in 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


261 


swarms  for  a  few  hours  flitting  and  playing  upon  the  surface  of  the 
water.  The  male  and  female  then  unite  and  couple  together  for  two 
more  hours,  when  they  again  return  to  their  sports,  lay  their  eggs,  and 
soon  after  die.  Thus  they  terminate  their  short  life  in  the  space  of  a 
few  hours,  and  the  same  day  that  saw  them  born  witnesses  their  death. 

From  the  history  of  these  little  creatures  we  may  learn  how  falla- 
cious are  the  opinions  which  we  form  of  our  lives  in  regard  to  eternity. 
Let  us  for  a  moment  imagine,  that  one  of  these  flies  had  preserved  its 
life  for  twelve  hours,  and  had  thus  arrived  at  the  most  advanced  age, 
compared  with  its  companions,  most  of  which  had  died  at  noon.  If 
this  aged  insect  could  speak  about  sunset,  a  little  before  its  death,  it 
might  thus  address  its  friends  :  '  I  now  find  that  the  longest  hfe  must 
terminate.  The  period  of  my  dissolution  is  at  length  arrived,  and  I 
regret  it  not ;  my  very  old  age  is  become  troublesome,  and  I  can  no 
longer  discover  any  thing  new  beneath  the  sun.  All  that  I  have  seen 
in  the  course  of  my  life  has  convinced  me,  that  nothing  here  is  certain 
or  permanent.  I  have  lived  in  the  first  ages  of  the  world  ;  I  have 
conversed  with  insects  far  superior  to  those  of  the  present  generation. 
I  assure  you  that  I  have  seen  this  sun,  which  is  now  so  near  the  earth, 
in  the  midst  of  the  sky.  In  those  days  his  light  was  much  more  vivid 
than  it  now  is  ;  and  our  ancestors  were  much  more  sober  and  virtuous 
than  we  are.  I  have  outlived  my  contemporaries,  have  had  large 
experience,  and  have  witnessed  many  strange  events.  My  hfe  com- 
menced precisely  when  the  sun  rose.  During  countless  years  it  ran 
its  majestic  course  through  the  heavens,  and  every  where  diffused  an 
intense  heat ;  but  now  that  it  is  declining  and  going  to  set,  I  perceive 
clearly  that  the  end  of  all  things  is  approaching.  O  my  friends,  how 
I  once  fondly  hoped  that  my  life  would  be  eternal  !  What  beautiful 
little  cells  I  formed  for  my  abode  !  What  hopes  I  founded  on  my 
vigour,  my  agility,  and  the  strength  of  my  constitution ;  I  thought 
my  wings  would  never  fail !' 

Thus  might  an  insect,  which  has  lived  nearly  twelve  hours  on  the 
earth,  moralize.  And  a  man  who  has  passed  nearly  fourscore  years 
in  the  world  may  adopt  similar  language.  The  difference  between 
twelve  hours  and  eighty  years  being  nothing  in  reference  to  eternity. 


JULY  XXI. 

DIVERSITY  OF  ZONES. 

The  figure  of  the  earth  being  spherical,  and  having  a  double  mo- 
tion, it  necessarily  follows  that  its  different  regions  vary  from  each 
other,  both  as  to  the  temperature  of  the  air  and  the  seasons,  as  well  as 
with  regard  to  the  animals  and  plants  which  they  produce.  In  certain 
countries  of  the  globe  there  is  but  one  season  ;  the  summer  continu- 
ing without  cessation,  and  every  day  being  as  warm  as  the  hottest  of 
our  summer  days.    These  countries  are  situated  about  the  middle  of 


262 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  globe,  and  occupy  the  space  called  the  torrid  zone.  The  most 
delicious  and  odoriferous  fruits  that  nature  produces  grow  there  and 
there  also  she  has  lavished  her  richest  treasures.  In  this  zone  the 
days  and  the  nights  are  of  an  equal  length  during  the  greatest  part 
of  the  year. 

There  are  countries,  on  the  contrary,  where  an  intense  degree  of 
cold,  exceeding  that  of  our  severest  winters,  almost  constantly  pre- 
vails ;  and  it  is  only  during  a  few  weeks  out  of  the  whole  year  that 
there  is  heat  enough  for  the  few  trees  and  herbs  that  are  found  in 
those  regions  to  grow  and  become  green  ;  but  neither  the  trees  nor  the 
earth  produce  fruits  Avhich  will  nourish  man  ;  and  in  these  regions 
there  is  the  greatest  length  of  day  and  night,  each  being  of  several 
months'  duration. 

The  two  temperate  zones,  situated  between  the  torrid  and  the  fri- 
gid zones,  occupy  the  greatest  part  of  our  globe.  In  these  countries 
there  are  four  seasons,  more  or  less  distinct  according  as  they  ap- 
proach nearer  to  the  torrid  or  to  the  frigid  zone.  These  seasons  are, 
the  spring,  when  the  trees  and  plants  put  forth  their  buds,  the  heat  is 
moderate,  and  the  days  and  nights  nearly  equal ;  the  summer,  during 
which  the  fruits  of  the  fields  and  of  the  trees  are  ripened,  the  heat 
powerful,  and  the  days  sensibly  longer  than  the  nights  ;  the  autumn, 
when  the  fruits  and  the  seeds  fall,  the  grass  begins  to  wither,  the  heat 
to  diminish,  and  the  days  and  nights  to  be  equal ;  the  winter,  when 
the  vegetation  of  plants  is  partially  or  wholly  suspended,  the  nights 
are  lengthened,  and  the  cold  is  more  or  less  intense. 

The  countries  of  the  temperate  zones  are  so  situated,  that  in  those 
which  border  upon  one  of  the  sides  of  the  torrid  zone,  the  seasons 
occur  in  order  quite  opposite  to  that  which  obtains  in  the  other  tem- 
perate zone  ;  for  when  it  is  winter  in  the  one,  it  is  summer  in  the 
other.  It  is  in  these  regions  that  nature  seems  to  have  produced  the 
greatest  diversity,  both  of  animal  and  vegetable  productions.  Wine 
is  peculiar  to  those  countries,  for  the  vine  cannot  be  cultivated  where 
either  the  heat  or  the  cold  is  excessive.  The  inhabitants  of  these 
temperate  climates  enjoy  advantages  greater  than  in  any  other  coun- 
try :  for  the  people  inhabiting  the  frigid  zone  are  stupid,  and  of  short 
stature  ;  those  of  the  torrid  zone  are  of  a  more  feeble  temperament, 
have  stronger  passions,  and  less  intellectual  and  bodily  powers,  than 
the  inhabitants  of  the  temperate  zones. 

However  diversified  the  countries  of  the  globe  may  be,  the  Creator 
has  provided,  by  his  wise  arrangements,  for  the  happiness  of  all  their 
inhabitants.  He  makes  each  country  produce  that  which  is  most 
beneficial  and  proper,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  climate.  A 
worm  which  feeds  upon  the  leaves  of  the  mulberry  tree,  spins  for  the 
people  of  the  torrid  zone  a  tissue  with  which  they  prepare  the  silken 
garments  which  they  wear.  And  a  tree,  like  a  shrub,  bears  a  kind 
of  pod  or  husk,  containing  a  very  fine  wool  or  cotton,  with  which 
light  stuffs  are  manufactured.  The  cold  countries  abound  with  qua- 
drupeds, whose  skins  furnish  clothing  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  north, 
who  also  enjoy  extensive  forests  which  abundantly  supply  them  with 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


263 


fuel.  The  natives  of  the  south  possess  in  their  fields  and  their  or- 
chards the  most  coohng  and  exquisite  fruits,  and  in  such  abundance 
that  they  are  able  to  supply  other  countries  with  large  quantities.  In 
the  colder  regions  the  want  of  fruit  is  supplied  by  the  numerous  fish 
contained  in  the  seas  and  the  lakes,  and  by  the  numerous  animals 
with  which  the  country  is  inhabited:  some  of  which,  roaming  wild 
in  the  forests,  affright  the  neighbouring  inhabitants ;  but  they  are 
still  highly  valuable  for  their  skins,  and  many  of  them  as  articles  of 
food  and  convenience. 

Thus  there  is  no  country  of  the  globe  that  does  not  receive  proofs 
of  the  greatness  and  goodness  of  God  ;  no  country  so  poor  and  steril 
as  not  to  furnish  its  inhabitants  with  the  means  of  subsistence  and 
the  comforts  of  life ;  and  we  must  every  where  acknowledge  the 
traces  of  divine  goodness  :  even  the  vast  trackless  deserts  and  craggy 
mountains  of  Asia  and  Africa  declare  it,  and  contain  monuments  of 
eternal  wisdom  and  unbounded  love.  From  the  frozen  climes  of  the 
north,  v/here  ice  and  snow  for  ever  dwell,  hymns  of  praise  to  the 
most  high  God  rise  and  blend  in  harmonious  unison  with  the  tuneful 
incense  as  it  ascends  to  heaven  from  the  more  temperate  regions. 
By  every  tongue,  language,  and  people,  the  name  of  God  is  mani- 
fested, revered,  and  joyfully  sung :  and  let  us,  the  inhabitants  of  a 
country  peculiarly  favoured  by  Heaven,  be  as  distinguished  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth  for  piety  and  good  works,  as  we  are  for  arts, 
sciences,  and  commerce. 


JULY  XXII. 

PECULIARITIES  OF  THE  SEA. 

Instead  of  looking  upon  the  sea  as  an  object  of  terror,  let  us  con- 
sider the  wonders  and  the  benefits  which  it  presents  to  us.  It  must 
be  granted  that  when  the  waves  swell  into  mountains,  and  the  tem- 
pest roars,  the  prospect  is  awful ;  and  we  must  be  hardy  indeed  not  to 
consider  it  as  a  most  formidable  element  in  such  times  of  fearful  visi- 
tation, when  ships,  breaking  from  their  anchors,  or  driven  from  their 
course,  rush  before  the  winds  that  beat  upon  them  with  ungovernable 
fury,  till  dismasted,  and  their  rigging  shivered  in  fragments,  they  sink 
overwhelmed  with  a  weight  of  waters,  or  strike  some  sand-bank  or 
shelving  rock,  and  are  at  once  dashed  to  pieces.  Sometimes  whirl- 
pools, or  vast  masses  of  water  with  a  violently  circular  motion,  whirl 
the  unfortunate  vessel  that  fate  urges  into  their  vortex,  with  irresist- 
ible force,  till  the  helpless  victim  sinks  within  the  tremendous  gulf, 
and  the  cries  of  the  unfortunate  wretches  are  lost  in  the  roar  of  the 
waves.  These  whirlpools  are  occasioned  by  rocks  in  the  ocean,  and 
the  meetuig  of  numerous  currents  and  eddies  :  and  not  less  danger- 
ous are  the  water-spouts,  that  the  wind  raises  from  the  sea  to  the 
clouds ;  they  hover  in  the  air  high  above  the  ocean,  and  the  wind 


264 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


whirls  them  round  with  violence.  They  often  burst  with  a  great 
crash  and  much  mischief ;  for  they  fall  upon  a  vessel,  destroy  its  rig- 
ging, and  sometimes  sink  it  to  the  bottom. 

But  it  would  be  highly  ungrateful  and  unjust  only  to  consider  the 
losses  occasioned  by  the  sea,  without  reflecting  upon  the  magnificent 
and  stupendous  works  of  God,  and  that  goodness  which  even  visits 
the  unfathomable  depths  of  the  ocean.  The  first  thing  which  strikes 
us  upon  the  investigation  of  sea-water  is  its  saltness  ;  a  pound  of  the 
water  containing  about  two  ounces  of  salt.  Sea-salt  is  lighter  than 
that  w^e  commonly  use,  and  yet  it  is  not  attracted  by  the  air,  nor 
diminished  by  the  continual  influx  of  fresh  water.  The  cause  of  the 
saltness  of  the  sea  is  unknown.  If  it  was  from  mountains  of  salt 
contained  in  the  ocean,  it  would  be  salter  in  some  places  than  in 
others,  of  which  we  have  no  proof.  But  whatever  is  the  occasion  of 
the  saline  property  of  the  sea,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  accom- 
phsh  certain  ends.  It  is  that  which  preserves  such  a  vast  body  of 
water  from  corruption,  and  renders  it  capable  of  supporting  a  greater 
weight. 

The  colour  of  the  sea  also  merits  our  attention  :  it  is  not  every 
where  alike.  In  all  waters  the  colour  of  the  bottom  and  that  of  the 
sky  appear  ;  they  are  dark  in  deep  abysses,  white  and  foaming  during 
a  storm,  silvery  and  gilded  with  reflections  of  the  most  beautiful  hues 
when  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  play  upon  the  unruffled  surface; 
the  colour  of  the  sea,  in  addition  to  these,  varies  from  numberless 
insects,  marine  plants,  and  the  combination  of  the  diflferent  substances 
which  the  rivers  and  torrents  carry  with  them  into  the  ocean.  When 
it  is  calm,  and  not  a  breeze  skims  the  surface,  it  sometimes  glitters  as 
with  the  most  brilliant  stars  ;  and  the  track  of  a  ship  cleaving  the 
waves  is  often  luminous,  seeming  like  a  river  of  fire. 

A  well-known  property  of  the  sea  is  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the 
tides.* 

The  creatures  which  inhabit  the  sea  are  well  calculated  to  excite 
our  surprise  and  admiration  ;  we  there  discover  a  new  Avorld,  and  the 
number  of  beings  which  compose  it  is  prodigious.  Aquatic  animals 
are  not  so  numerous  in  their  species  as  the  land  animals ;  but  they 
surpass  them  in  size  and  longevity.  The  elephant  and  ostrich  yield 
in  bulk  to  the  whale,  the  largest  fish  of  the  ocean,  its  length  being 
often  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet ;  it  lives  as  long  as  the  oak,  and  no 
land  animal  can  vie  with  it  in  length  of  life.  If  we  may  rely  upon 
certain  accounts,  there  are  creatures  in  the  ocean  far  exceeding  the 
Eize  of  the  whale  ;  as  the  animal  called  kraken,  said  to  exist  in  the 
northern  seas,  and  whose  circumference  is  half  a  German  league. 
Who  can  number  the  different  species  of  animals  which  people  the 
seas  1  Or  who  can  determine  their  form,  structure,  size,  and  proper- 
ties 1  How  infinitely  great  is  that  God  who  has  created  the  sea  will 
be  the  conclusion  of  all  who  investigate  the  subject. 

It  is  not  without  the  wisest  reasons  that  the  Creator  has  made  the 

♦  See  Reflection  of  Feb.  7. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


265 


ocean  and  the  seas  to  occupy  two-thirds  of  the  whole  glohe.  The  seas 
were  not  only  to  form  great  reservoirs  of  water,  but  by  means  of  their 
evaporation  to  be  the  sources  of  rain,  snow,  and  various  meteors.  What 
wisdom  is  displayed  in  the  connexion  which  the  seas  have  with  each 
other,  and  in  their  continual  motion  !  And  it  is  not  less  wonderful 
that  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  is  nearly  of  the  same  nature  as  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth.  There  are  found  in  the  sea,  rocks,  caverns,  plains, 
springs,  plants,  and  animals  ;  and  the  islands  are  only  the  summits 
of  a  long  cliain  of  mountains.  When  we  consider  that  the  seas  form 
a  part  of  the  globe  the  least  investigated,  we  are  disposed  to  believe 
that  they  contain  many  more  wonders,  which  neither  the  senses  nor 
the  understanding  of  man  have  yet  been  able  to  penetrate,  but  which 
all  testify  the  adorable  wisdom  and  power  of  the  Most  High.  To 
him  then  who  has  established  the  monuments  of  his  grandeur  and 
the  sceptre  of  his  glory  in  the  ocean  as  upon  the  earth,  be  ascribed  all 
admiration  and  praise ! 


JULY  XXIIL 

DIFFERENT  SHADES  OBSERVABLE  IN  FLOWERS. 

With  a  heart  beating  with  joyful  emotions  I  look  round  and  see  all 
the  beauties  of  the  creation.  How  lovely  are  the  tints  !  how  pleasing 
their  combination  !  How  admirable  the  diversity  of  shades  !  Here  the 
colours  are  exquisitely  touched  with  the  lightest  pencil  :  there  they 
arrest  the  eye  by  their  brilliancy  and  deeper  glow.  The  ground- 
colour is  always  such  as  to  show  the  picture  stretched  upon  it  to  the 
most  advantage ;  whilst  the  green  surrounding  the  flower,  or  the 
shade  of  the  leaves,  gives  life  to  the  whole. 

In  thus  distributing  and  diversifying  the  colours,  nature  has  pro- 
cured us  the  most  agreeable  sensations.  How  great  and  numberless 
are  the  works  of  God  ;  how  wisely  arranged  !  We  cannot  sufficiently 
admire  the  grandeur  of  his  designs,  the  magnitude  of  his  views,  nor 
the  wisdom  he  employs  in  their  execution.  It  is  only  with  labour 
and  incessant  toil  that  men  can  accomplish  any  single  work  ;  and 
after  many  fruitless  efforts,  at  length  sometimes  succeed  so  as  to 
imitate  some  one  of  nature's  works.  But  the  Supreme  Power,  the 
immortal  God,  in  a  single  moment  has  given  life  to  millions  of  beings, 
and  has  created  them  in  perfection  according  to  their  different  states 
and  degrees.  The  more  we  examine  the  works  of  art,  the  more 
will  their  imperfections  appear ;  while  for  near  six  thousand  years  the 
works  of  nature,  formed  by  the  infinite  hand  of  God,  have  been  con- 
templated with  increasing  delight,  without  a  single  error  being  dis- 
covered in  the  plan,  or  any  thing  suggested  that  could  render  the 
execution  more  perfect.  The  more  we  investigate  the  works  of  God, 
the  more  their  beauty  delights,  and  their  perfection  pleases ;  whilst 

our  love  and  veneration  for  their  Divine  Author  increases. 

23  %l 


266 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Flowers  are  particularly  pleasing  by  their  simplicity.  One  single 
element,  under  the  forming  hand  of  nature,  assumes  all  this  beautiful 
variety.  The  moisture  of  the  earth  and  air  insinuates  itself  into  the 
vessels  of  plants,  and  filters  through  a  series  of  transparent  tubes; 
and  this  is  the  cause  of  all  the  beauties  which  we  observe  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom.  If  each  colour  had  its  particular  cause,  the  sur- 
prise of  the  beholder  might  not  be  so  great :  but  we  contemplate  with 
delight,  and  are  never  weary  of  admiring  as  the  effect  of  supernal 
wisdom,  a  work,  which,  so  diversified  in  its  parts,  is  nevertheless 
perfectly  simple  as  to  its  cause  ;  by  which  we  see  a  number  of  eflfects 
depending  upon  a  single  spring,  always  acting  in  the  same  manner. 

Whilst  viewing  with  rapture  the  beautiful  variety  of  colouring 
displayed  in  flowers,  we  must  necessarily  feel  the  value  of  that  reason 
which  we  enjo}^  as  beings  endowed  with  immortality,  without  which, 
in  vain  would  the  charms  of  nature  unfold  to  our  senses.  With  the 
light  of  reason  we  are  able  to  know  and  distinguish  the  numberless 
beauties  of  flowers,  to  appreciate  the  infinitely  varied  blending  of  their 
tints,  and  all  the  delightful  scenery  of  the  meadows,  valleys,  forests, 
and  mountains;  making  them  contribute  to  our  pleasures,  and  find- 
ing in  each  evident  traces  of  an  Almighty  God.  Father  of  light  and 
mercy  !  Parent  of  good  !  What  can  we  render  unto  thee,  or  how  can 
we  sufläciently  thank  thee,  for  that  choice  and  pure  gift  of  reason 
which  elevates  our  souls  from  earth  to  heaven,  and  raises  us  from  the 
nature  of  brutes  unto  the  dignity  of  angels  ? 


JULY  XXIV. 

SUMMER  HEAT. 

At  this  season  of  the  year  we  generally  experience  the  greatest 
degree  of  heat;  though  the  sun,  having  now  entered  into  the  sign 
Leo,  daily  removes  farther  from  us.  When  we  were  nearer  to  him  the 
heat  was  temperate ;  and  now  that  we  are  farther  off  it  is  at  its  greatest 
degree  of  fervency.  The  reason  of  this  is  from  the  peculiar  arrange- 
ment of  our  globe.  The  sun  was  lately  nearer  to  us  ;  but  as  his  rays 
had  not  suflficient  force  to  penetrate  deep  into  the  earth,  we  only  felt 
a  temperate  degree  of  heat ;  but  in  the  space  of  some  weeks,  the  earth, 
and  the  bodies  which  cover  it,  are  so  much  heated,  that  even  the  least 
influence  of  the  sun  produces  more  effect  than  at  the  beginning  of 
summer,  when  it  acted  upon  cold  bodies. 

Some  people  murmur  at  this  arrangement  of  nature,  and  complain 
of  the  intenseness  of  the  heat,  which  renders  them  incapable  of  bear- 
ing much  fatigue  ;  but  to  repine  at  an  arrangement  founded  upon  the 
immutable  laws  of  nature,  and  consequently  an  inevitable  effect  of 
certain  causes,  is  failing  in  gratitude  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  by 
censuring  his  government,  which  never  fails  in  the  end  to  promote 
the  general  welfare  of  the  world.    And  to  repine  because  one  day  is 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


267 


hot  and  another  cold,  one  wet  and  another  dry,  bespeaks  a  weak  head 
and  a  bad  heart.  If  these  heats  were  not  sometimes  to  occur,  how 
could  the  fruits  which  are  to  nourish  men  during  the  winter  arrive  at 
maturity]  Thus  all  our  nuirnuirings  at  the  decrees  of  Providence, 
who  always  out  of  evil  worketh  good,  are  the  offspring  of  folly  and  of 
ingratitude.  Though  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  part  of  Africa, 
and  particularly  of  Cape  Verd  and  the  island  of  Goree,  are  exposed 
during  the  whole  year  to  the  most  intense  heat,  their  bodies  are  so 
organized  that  they  can  endure  it  without  suffering  in  their  health  ; 
and  the  winds  continually  blowing  over  the  country  temper  and  cool 
the  air. 

And  has  the  Creator  been  less  bountiful  to  us  1  Is  it  not  from  his 
tender  cares  that  the  summer  nights  cool  the  air,  and  produce  a 
delightful  freshness  ?  A  single  night  revives  the  languishing  plants, 
gives  new  vigour  to  the  enfeebled  animals,  and  enables  us  to  sustain 
the  fatigues  of  the  day  with  alacrity.  Even  the  storms  which  cause  so 
much  fear  are,  in  the  hands  of  God,  the  means  of  purifying  the  air, 
and  refreshing  the  creation.  And  we  have  a  variety  of  deliciously  cool- 
ing fruits,  that  tend  to  preserve  our  health  at  this  season.  Let  us  then 
no  longer  complain  of  the  sun's  heat,  nor  of  the  sufferings  that  we 
endure  ;  but  consider  them  as  a  part  of  the  divine  plan,  and  as  being 
alleviated  by  a  thousand  means  that  ought  to  excite  our  gratitude  and 
adoration. 


JULY  XXV. 

OF  SOME  REMARKABLE  PROPERTIES  IN  ANIMALS. 

Of  all  parts  of  nature  the  animal  kingdom  presents  us  with  the 
most  curious  subjects  of  investigation;  and  to  the  lover  of  natural 
history  the  different  instincts  with  which  animals  are  endowed  form  a 
highly  interesting  study.  To  a  reflecting  mind  it  is  not  merely  a 
pleasing  amusement ;  the  properties  of  animals  cause  us  to  look  up  to 
a  wisdom  which  we  cannot  penetrate,  and  which  surpasses  all  human 
conception.  And  this  effect  I  wish  to  produce  in  my  readers,  by 
pointing  out  to  them  the  singularities  observable  in  certain  animals. 

The  manner  in  w^hich  birds  and  insects  lay  their  eggs  is  worthy  of 
admiration.  The  grasshopper,  the  lizard,  the  tortoise,  and  the  croco- 
dile, neither  trouble  themselves  about  their  eggs,  nor  about  their  young 
when  hatched.  They  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  ground,  and  leave 
them  to  be  hatched  by  the  heat  of  the  sun's  rays.  Other  species  of 
animals,  by  natural  instinct,  lay  their  eggs  in  places  where  their 
young  can  find  a  sufficiency  of  food  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched. 
This  instinct  never  deceives  them.  The  butterfly  of  the  herbivorous 
caterpillar  will  never  lay  her  eggs  upon  meat,  neither  will  the  flesh- 
fly  lay  her  eggs  upon  vegetables.  Some  species  of  animals  have  so 
much  soUcitude  for  their  eggs  that  they  carry  them  with  them  wher- 


268 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


ever  they  go.  The  spider  called  the  wanderer  carries  her  eggs  in  a 
little  silken  bag.  When  they  are  hatched,  they  range  themselves  in 
order  upon  their  mother's  back,  who  travels  about  with  her  load,  and 
continues  for  some  time  to  take  care  of  them.  Certain  species  of  flies 
deposite  their  eggs  in  the  bodies  of  Hving  insects,  or  in  their  nests ; 
and  we  know  that  there  is  not  a  single  plant  that  does  not  serve  to 
lodge  and  feed  many  insects.  A  fly  pierces  the  leaf  of  an  oak,  and 
deposites  its  eggs  in  the  hole  it  has  made  ;  the  wound  soon  closes  up, 
the  part  swells,  and  an  excrescence  or  tuberosity  appears,  called  a 
gall :  the  eggs  that  have  been  enclosed  within  it  grow  in  size,  and 
the  insect  which  they  produce  finds  in  its  resting-place  suitable 
aliment. 

The  care  which  animals  take  of  their  young  is  almost  incredible  ; 
and  their  love  for  them  is  often  greater  than  for  their  own  lives.  How 
assiduously  some  quadrupeds  nourish  their  young!  When  wounded, 
they  cure  them  by  licking  them  with  their  tongue ;  they  carry 
them  from  one  place  to  another ;  when  dangers  threaten,  they 
keep  near  to  defend  and  guide  them.  If  they  are  carnivorous,  how 
carefully  their  dam  procures  them  flesh,  teaches  them  to  pursue  their 
prey,  to  play  with  it  when  in  their  power,  and  then  to  tear  it  to 
pieces  !  We  cannot  read  without  emotions  of  grief,  and  feeling  sen- 
timents of  horror  and  detestation  rise  in  our  bosoms,  the  account  of  a 
bitch,  which,  whilst  they  were  dissecting  alive,  continually  licked  her 
young  ones,  as  if  to  solace  her  affliction,  and  mitigate  her  torture  by 
this  maternal  gratification  ;  and  when  this  last  consolation  was  denied 
by  taking  away  her  young,  she  uttered  a  piercing  and  most  lamenta- 
ble cry. 

Some  sea-animals  during  a  storm  shelter  their  young  under  their 
belly.  Each  species  of  animals  has  its  peculiar  wants  and  desires, 
for  both  of  Avhich  the  Creator  has  abundantly  provided.  Let  us  take 
for  example  those  creatures  which  seek  their  nourishment  in  the  wa- 
ter ;  and  among  these  the  water-fowl.  Nature  has  furnished  their 
feathers  with  an  oily  matter,  through  which  water  cannot  penetrate  : 
by  this  means  they  do  not  become  wet  in  diving,  which  would  im- 
pede their  flying.  The  proportions  of  their  bodies  also  differ  from 
those  of  other  birds.  Their  legs  are  placed  more  behind,  to  enable 
them  to  stand  up  in  the  water,  and  more  readily  to  expand  their 
wings.  That  they  may  swim  with  ease,  their  feet  are  provided  with 
webs  ;  to  facilitate  their  diving,  their  body  is  pecuharly  formed;  and 
to  enable  them  to  seize  their  prey,  they  have  a  long  neck  and  a  large 
bill :  in  short,  nature  has  completely  formed  them  for  their  particular 
mode  of  living. 

The  nautilus  is  a  shell-fish  something  resembling  the  snail  species; 
when  they  wish  to  ascend,  they  place  themselves  in  front  of  their 
shell,  and  to  render  it  more  light,  empty  out  the  water  through  an 
opening.  When  they  wish  to  descend,  they  retire  to  the  bottom  of 
their  little  house,  which  filling  with  water,  becomes  heavy  and  sinks. 
If  they  wish  to  sail,  they  skilfully  turn  their  shell,  which  becomes  a 
little  gondola,  and  they  stretch  out  a  thin  light  membrane,  which 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


269 


swells  before  the  wind,  serving  as  a  sail ;  and  perhaps  it  might  be  this 
little  nautilus  that  first  taught  men  the  art  of  sailing. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  actions  of  animals  as  with  their  structure. 
The  same  wisdom  which  has  formed  their  body  has  constructed  their 
limbs,  and  appointed  them  their  use ;  has  also  regulated  the  different 
actions  that  they  perform,  and  directs  them  towards  the  end  proposed 
in  their  creation.  The  brute  is  guided  by  the  invisible  hand  of  the 
Creator,  and  produces  works  which  excite  our  admiration,  and  seems 
to  be  actuated  by  reason.  It  ceases  to  work  when  necessary,  regu- 
lates its  labour  according  to  circumstances,  and  yet  only  follows  cer- 
tain secret  springs  that  make  it  move.  It  acts  as  a  machine  which 
cannot  judge  of  the  work  which  it  executes  ;  and  is  directed  by  the 
adorable  wisdom  of  the  Creator,  who  has  placed  each  insect,  as  he  has 
each  planet,  in  a  sphere  from  which  it  cannot  deviate.  When  I  ob- 
serve then  the  different  instincts  and  industry  of  animals,  my  soul  is 
filled  with  veneration,  and  I  seem  to  see  the  immediate  operation  of  a 
Divine  Power,  which  is  only  visible  by  its  wonderful  effects  ;  and  who- 
ever attentively  considers  the  different  works  of  nature,  must  every 
where  discover  the  evidences  of  God,  and  abundant  cause  to  love  and 
admire  his  sempiternal  wisdom  and  goodness. 


JULY  XXVI. 

THE  HUMAN  COUNTENANCE. 

The  external  appearance  of  the  human  body  at  once  declares  the 
superiority  of  man  over  all  living  creatures.  His  face  directed  to- 
wards the  heavens,  prepares  us  to  expect  that  dignified  expression 
which  is  so  legibly  inscribed  upon  his  features ;  and  from  ihe  coun- 
tenance of  man  we  may  judge  of  his  important  destination  and  high 
prerogatives. 

While  the  soul  enjoys  undisturbed  tranquillity,  the  features  of  the 
face  are  calm  and  composed ;  but  when  agitated  by  emotions,  and 
tossed  by  contending  passions,  the  countenance  becomes  a  living  pic- 
ture, in  which  every  sensation  is  depicted  with  equal  force  and  deli- 
cacy. Each  affection  of  the  mind  has  its  particular  impression,  and 
every  change  of  countenance  denotes  some  secret  emotion  of  the 
heart.  The  eye  may  in  particular  be  regarded  as  the  immediate 
organ  of  the  soul;  as  a  mirror,  in  which  the  most  tumultuous  pas- 
sions and  the  gentlest  affections  are  reflected  without  disguise.  Hence 
it  may  be  called  with  propriety  the  true  interpreter  of  the  soul,  and 
organ  of  the  understanding.  The  colour  and  motions  of  the  eye  con- 
tribute much  to  mark  the  character  of  the  countenance.  The  human 
eyes  are  in  proportion  nearer  to  one  another  than  those  of  any  other 
living  creatures  ;  the  space  between  the  eyes  of  most  of  these  being 
so  great  as  to  prevent  their  seeing  an  object  with  both  their  eyes  at 
the  same  time,  uriless  it  is  placed  at  a  great  distance. 


270 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Next  to  the  eyes,  the  eye-brows  tend  to  fix  the  character  of  the 
countenance.  Their  colour  renders  them  particularly  striking;  they 
form  the  shade  of  the  picture,  which  thus  acquires  greater  force  of  co- 
louring. The  eye-lashes,  when  long  and  thick,  give  beauty  and  addi- 
tional charms  to  the  eye.  No  animals,  but  men  and  monkeys,  have 
both  eye-lids  ornamented  with  eye-lashes  :  other  creatures  having 
them  only  on  the  lower  eye-lid.  The  eye-brows  are  elevated,  de- 
pressed, and  contracted,  by  means  of  the  muscles  upon  the  forehead. 
The  lids  are  of  use  to  defend  the  eye,  and  prevent  the  cornea  from 
becoming  dry. 

The  forehead  forms  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  face,  and  when 
well  formed  adds  much  to  its  beauty  :  it  should  neither  project  much, 
nor  be  quite  flat ;  neither  be  very  large,  nor  yet  small ;  fine  hair  adds 
much  to  its  beauty. 

The  nose  is  the  most  prominent  and  least  moveable  part  of  the 
face  ;  hence  it  adds  more  to  the  beauty  than  the  expression  of  the 
countenance.  The  mouth  and  lips  are  on  the  contrary  extremely 
susceptible  of  changes ;  and  if  the  eyes  express  the  passions  of  the 
soul,  the  mouth  seems  more  peculiarly  to  correspond  with  the  emo- 
tions of  the  heart.  The  rosy  bloom  of  the  lips,  and  the  ivory  white 
of  the  teeth,  complete  the  charms  of  the  human  face. 

Without  considering  the  several  uses  of  these  parts,  we  have  ample 
testimony  of  their  divine  origin  ;  and  in  contemplating  the  beauty  of 
the  human  countenance,  our  admiration  increases  in  thinking  of  that 
Being  by  whose  wisdom  and  goodness  we  are  so  exquisitely  formed. 
Whilst  we  examine  each  feature,  let  us  meditate  upon  those  high  pre- 
rogatives which  we  enjoy  over  the  animal  world,  and  upon  the  noble 
purposes  for  which  we  are  created.  Our  eye  commands  the  face  of 
nature,  and  glances  from  earth  to  heaven  ;  our  lips  dance  to  the  mu- 
sic of  hymns  in  praise  of  our  God ;  and  every  feature  of  the  mind- 
illumined  face  displays  that  goodness  of  heart,  and  purity  and  intelli- 
gence of  soul,  which  amiable  rjiodesty,  retiring  from  the  gaze  of  men, 
in  vain  attempts  to  conceal. 


JULY  XXVIL 

GRAVITY  OF  BODIES. 

All  bodies  possess  a  force  which  acts  at  all  times,  in  all  places,  and 
in  all  directions.  If  a  body  attempts  to  move  more  forcibly  towards 
one  point  than  to  another,  it  is  said  to  gravitate  towards  that  point. 
Experience  teaches  us,  that  bodies  have  a  tendency  to  descend  ;  or 
that  if  they  are  from  the  surface  of  the  earth  without  being  supported 
they  fall  down  perpendicularly.  It  is  not  in  the  body  itself  that  we 
must  seek  the  cause  of  its  gravity  ;  for  a  body  which  falls  remains  in 
the  state  in  which  it  was  first  placed,  till  some  external  cause  changes 
its  direction.    It  is  equally  impossible  that  the  air  should  be  the  cause 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


271 


of  this  gravity  ;  for,  possessing  weight  itself,  it  would  rather  retard 
the  velocity  of  falling  bodies.  We  must,  therefore,  look  for  the  cause 
elsewhere.  Perhaps  the  opinion  approaching  nearest  to  truth,  is  that 
which  supposes  the  earth  has  the  property  of  attracting  bodies  placed 
at  a  certain  distance.  Or  perhaps  we  may  impute  the  cause  of  gra- 
vity to  some  foreign  matter  distributed  through  all  bodies. 

But  though  we  cannot  exactly  ascertain  its  cause,  nothing  is  more 
clear  than  the  advantages  which  result  from  it.  Without  the  power 
of  gravity  we  should  not  be  able  to  move  as  we  do.  Our  centre  of 
gravity  is" about  the  middle  of  our  bodies  ;  when  we  raise  the  right 
foot,  we  must  bear  this  centre  upon  our  left.  If  we  bend  our  body 
forward,  we  are  in  danger  of  falling  ;  but,  by  extending  our  right 
leg,  we  prevent  our  fall  and  make  a  step.  Thus  our  walking  is  in 
some  measure  a  continual  series  of  interrupted  falls.  Hence,  when 
we  ascend  a  hill,  we  bend  our  body  forward  ;  and  backward  when 
we  descend.  In  carrying  a  burden  on  our  shoulders  we  incline  for- 
wards, and  lean  back  when  we  carry  it  in  our  arms.  All  this  pro- 
ceeds from  the  laws  of  gravity,  which  regulate  the  motions  of  ani- 
mals, when  they  walk,  swim,  or  fly. 

The  same  laws  are  also  extended  to  the  heavenly  bodies.  The 
sun  attracts  the  planets,  and  each  planet  attracts  its  satellites ;  or, 
what  is  the  same  thing,  the  planets  gravitate  towards  the  sun,  and 
the  satellites  towards  the  planets  ;  for  a  body  made  to  revolve  in  a 
circle  would  always  fly  off  from  the  centre  in  a  right  line,  if  it  met 
with  no  obstruction.  The  planets  revolve  in  their  orbits  with  the 
greatest  velocity.  It  seems  as  if  a  motion  as  rapid  as  that  of  the  moon 
should  whirl  her  from  us  to  an  immense  distance  in  the  immeasurable 
space,  if  there  was  not  force  which  continually  impelled  her  towards 
our  globe,  and  which  was  strong  enough  to  counteract  the  force  tend- 
ing to  propel  her  from  the  earth.  And  this  force  is  the  gravitation  of 
the  moon  towards  the  earth.  If  our  earth  was  either  lighter  or  heavier 
than  it  is,  it  would  approach  too  near  to,  or  fly  off  too  far  from,  the 
sun :  in  the  one  case,  nobody  could  support  the  heat ;  in  the  other 
cold  would  be  equally  unbearable  :  either  every  thing  upon  the  globe 
would  be  consumed  by  heat,  or  frozen  by  excess  of  cold. 

Here  again  we  have  fresh  cause  to  admire  and  adore  that  Wisdom, 
which,  by  means  apparently  so  simple,  regulates  the  motions  of  ani- 
mals, and  wields  the  vast  globes  that  roll  in  the  firmament.  By  the 
laws  of  gravity  alone  the  smallest  particles  of  dust  are  prevented  from 
being  lost,  either  from  our  earth,  or  from  any  of  the  globes  which 
continually  revolve  around  us.  We  here  see  the  greatness  of  that 
power  and  wisdom  which  produce  the  most  astonishing  effects  by 
means  which  appear  to  us  the  most  insignificant. 


272 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JULY  XXVllL 

MANY  EFFECTS  IN  NATURE  PROCEED  FROM  THE   SAME  CAUSE. 

Universal  nature  is  an  endless  chain  of  causes  and  effects  ;  and  as 
all  parts  of  the  universe  bear  a  relation  to  each  other,  every  motion 
and  every  event  depends  upon  a  preceding  cause,  and  itself  becomes 
the  cause  of  effects  which  follow  its  action.  The  whole  constitution 
of  the  world  is  well  calculated  to  convince  us  that  it  is  not  chance, 
but  a  divine  Wisdom  surpassing  all  conception,  which  first  erected 
this  wonderful  edifice,  impressed  motion  upon  its  different  parts,  and 
determined  the  great  chain  of  events  to  depend  upon  and  succeed 
each  other  with  order  and  regularity.  It  is  not  difficult  to  acquire 
this  degree  of  knowledge  ;  for  thougli  our  acquaintance  with  nature 
is  very  hmited,  we  yet  are  able  to  perceive  that  many  important 
effects  depend  upon  causes  evident  to  human  intelligence.  As  a  proof 
of  this  we  may  instance  many  natural  phenomena. 

What  a  variety  of  effects  are  produced  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  !  It 
not  only  contributes  to  the  life  of  an  innumerable  multitude  of  ani- 
mals, but  also  to  the  vegetation  of  plants  ;  to  the  ripening  of  seeds 
and  fruits  ;  the  fluidity  of  water  ;  the  elevation  of  vapours  ;  and  to 
the  formation  of  clouds,  without  which  we  should  have  neither  rain 
nor  dew. 

The  air  also  is  so  constituted  as  to  answer  various  ends.  By  means 
of  this  element,  animals  are  preserved  alive,  and  all  the  vital  func- 
tions performed  with  vigour.  It  is  by  means  of  the  air  that  the  fire 
burns,  and  combustion  is  supported  ;  that  sound  is  conveyed  in  undu- 
lations to  the  ear  ;  that  winged  creatures  fly  from  place  to  place  ;  and 
that  man  traverses  the  vast  extent  of  the  ocean.  It  is  the  air  which 
supports  the  clouds,  till,  becoming  too  heavy,  they  fall  in  rain  ;  it  is 
that  which  prolongs  our  day  by  means  of  the  twilight ;  and  without 
air  the  gifts  of  speech  and  of  hearing  would  be  useless.  All  these, 
and  many  other  advantages,  depend  upon  the  air  in  which  we  hve 
and  breathe.  Is  not  then  this  wonderful  element,  which  surrounds 
our  globe,  and  is  too  subtile  for  our  eyes  to  behold,  and  yet  so  strong 
that  nothing  can  resist  its  force,  a  most  evident  proof  of  the  wisdom 
of  God  ? 

The  power  of  gravitation  existing  in  all  bodies,  preserves  the  moun- 
tains in  their  places,  restrains  the  ocean  within  his  depths,  and  keeps 
the  earth  within  her  prescribed  orbit ;  supports  every  created  being  in 
its  proper  place  in  nature  ;  and  prescribes  to  the  stars  of  heaven  the 
course  they  are  to  observe. 

Who  can  enumerate  the  various  uses  of  water  ?  It  serves  to  dilute, 
to  soften,  to  dissolve,  and  mix,  many  substances  which  we  could  not 
otherwise  use.  It  constitutes  a  most  wholesome  beverage,  is  the 
chief  nourisher  of  plants,  sets  in  motion  mills  and  other  machines,  is 
the  habitation  of  fish,  and  bears  upon  its  surface  treasures  from  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


273 


How  varied  and  numerous  are  the  effects  of  fire  !  And  it  is  not 
only  in  the  natural  world  that  we  see  many  diversified  effects  pro- 
ceed from  the  same  cause  ;  in  the  moral  world  we  also  often  see  a 
single  disposition  of  the  mind  produce  effects  not  less  various.  Let  us 
take  for  example  the  natural  inclination  which  prompts  us  to  love  our 
fellow-creatures.  From  this  are  derived  the  solicitude  of  parents  for 
their  children  ;  social  union  ;  the  bonds  of  amity  ;  patriotism  ;  good- 
ness in  those  who  govern,  and  fidehty  in  those  who  obey.  Thus  a 
single  propensity  keeps  each  individual  in  the  circle  prescribed  for 
him ;  becomes  the  bond  of  civil  society  ;  and  is  the  principle  of  vir- 
tuous actions,  laudable  enterprises,  and  innocent  recreations.  All 
this  furnishes  the  most  evident  proof  that  the  world  is  not  made  by 
accident,  nor  the  materials  which  compose  it  put  together  by  chance, 
without  relation  or  connexion  between  each  other  ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  it  forms  a  regular  whole,  which  the  divine  Power  has  or- 
dered with  infinite  wisdom  ;  and  in  every  phenomenon  of  the  visible 
world  some  rays  of  this  ineffable  wisdom  blaze  forth,  and  declare  the 
unutterable  goodness  of  God, 


JULY  XXIX. 

OF  SOME  DISEASES   OF  PLANTS. 

Vegetables  are  subject  to  many  diseases.  Sometimes  they  are 
covered  with  a  wählte  matter  which  sticks  to  them  like  dust,  and  is 
called  mildew.  This  does  not  happen  from  insects,  as  is  commonly 
believed ;  but  from  a  stagnation  in  the  juices,  and  a  beginning  of 
corruption,  which  attracts  insects,  and  invites  them  to  deposite  their 
eggs.  The  stagnation  of  the  juices  is  the  first  stage  of  corruption  ; 
and  it  is  supposed  that  that  alone  is  sufficient  to  attract  insects,  be- 
cause they  are  seen  to  swarm  by  millions  as  soon  as,  from  whatever 
cause,  natural  or  artificial,  the  circulation  of  juices  in  a  tree  is  stopped. 
Hence  the  feeblest  trees,  and  those  exposed  in  unfavourable  situations, 
are  the  most  subject  to  this  malady.  If  insects  were  really  the  cause 
of  it,  it  could  not  be  produced  by  art ;  whereas,  if  a  tree  is  purposely 
wounded,  or  deprived  of  the  care  it  requires,  it  will  become  subject  to 
the  mildew.  And  upon  this  tree,  so  weakened,  immediately  are  seen 
thousands  of  insects,  whilst  the  neighbouring  trees  are  free  from  them. 
Hence  this  corruption  is  no  more  owing  to  insects,  than  is  the  decay 
of  animal  substances ;  we  must  look  for  the  cause  of  it  in  the  ob- 
struction of  the  juices,  which  may  be  occasioned  by  many  circum- 
stances. 

A  matter  resembling  dew,  but  which  is  glutinous,  sweet,  and 
acrid,  frequently  destroys  plants.  It  has  been  thought  that  insects 
conveyed  this  glutinous  juice  into  vegetables,  or  that  bees  had  depo- 
sited honey  upon  them.  But  frequent  observations  have  demonstrated 
that  this  matter  falls  from  the  air  in  form  of  dew.    In  certain  coun« 

2K 


274 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


tries  it  is  deposited  in  small  drops  upon  a  great  variety  of  different 
vegetables  ;  and  in  the  space  of  a  single  night  it  will  cover  almost  all 
the  leaves  of  a  long  row  of  trees,  upon  which  it  had  not  been  before 
perceived.  Perhaps  this  dew  may  be  formed  from  the  exhalations 
which  arise  from  flowers  and  blossoming  trees,  out  of  which  the  bees 
extract  their  honey ;  and  if  more  is  deposited  in  one  place  than  in 
another,  it  is  owing  to  the  direction  of  the  wind.  Perhaps  also  it  may 
be  the  effect  of  some  disease  in  the  plants  from  their  juices  being 
vitiated  ;  for  it  is  the  branches,  leaves,  bushes,  and  weakest  trees, 
that  are  most  subject  to  this  disease.  It  is  also  remarked,  that  the 
leaves  upon  which  this  species  of  dew  falls  become  spotted  and  black, 
and  soon  spoil  ;  most  probably  this  substance  is  the  cause  of  it. 

Here  we  find  evident  traces  of  divine  Wisdom ;  for,  since  insects 
require  nourishment,  it  is  advantageous  to  us  that  they  are  directed 
to  obtain  it  from  those  vegetables  which,  being  already  spoiled,  are 
become  useless,  if  not  prejudicial  to  us.  And  this  is  a  new  proof  of 
the  particular  provision  which  God  made  for  man  when  he  established 
the  world.  It  is  owing  to  this  arrangement  that  these  insects  take 
nothing  that  is  necessary  for  our  support ;  but  on  the  contrary  attach 
themselves  to  that  which  would  be  destructive  to  us.  In  the  wise 
economy  of  Natm  e,  each  plant,  tree,  and  animal,  serves  for  the  sup- 
port of  different  creatures. 


JULY  XXX. 

MEANS  OF  SUBSISTENCE  WHICH  NATURE  PROVIDES  FOR  ANIMALS. 

It  is  a  great  proof  of  the  goodness  and  supreme  power  of  the  Al- 
mighty, that  there  is  everywhere  provided  a  sufficiency  of  aliment  for 
all  the  living  creatures  with  wiiich  the  world  is  filled.  It  is  not 
indeed  wonderful  that  the  countries  which  lie  within  the  temperate 
zones  should  supply  their  inhabitants  with  a  sufficiency  of  nourish- 
ment ;  but  that  this  should  be  the  case  in  all  places,  even  where  we 
had  least  reason  to  expect  it,  and  that  the  necessary  provisions  never 
fail  to  so  many  species  of  animals,  can  only  be  attributed  to  the  cares 
of  a  beneficent  and  all- wise  Providence.  He  has  proportioned  the 
supply  of  provisions  to  the  number  and  wants  of  the  animals  which 
are  to  consume  them.  In  most  places  there  is  a  superabundance  ; 
but  this  profusion  is  not  so  great  as  to  cause  the  alimentary  matter  to 
spoil  or  decay,  for  that  would  be  prejudicial  to  the  world. 

Among  the  many  articles  of  nourishment,  those  which  are  most 
useful  and  necessary  are  generally  found  in  the  greatest  abundance, 
and  multiply  the  most  readily.  As  there  are  a  great  number  of  ani- 
mals which  only  Uve  upon  herbs,  the  meadows  abound  with  them 
and  the  most  wholesome  plants,  that  grow  spontaneously  without  the 
least  culture,  and  easily  resist  the  inclemency  of  the  air.  It  is  also 
highly  worthy  of  attention,  that  com,  which  is  such  a  great  source  of 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


275 


food  for  man,  can  be  cultivated  with  so  little  trouble,  and  increase  so 
astonishingly. 

It  is  also  a  wise  regulation  of  the  Creator,  that  the  taste  of  animals 
is  so  varied,  that  some  love  to  feed  upon  herbs  and  corn,  some  upon 
flesh,  others  upon  insects,  &:c. ;  some  are  content  with  a  little,  others 
are  very  rapacious.  If  all  species  of  animals  had  an  inclination  for 
the  same  kind  of  food,  the  earth  would  soon  become  incapable  of 
satisfying  their  wants,  and  would  presently  be  converted  into  a  vast 
desert.  The  diversity  of  taste  then  that  we  find  among  animals  is 
a  certain  proof  that  it  is  not  by  accident  that  they  prefer  any  particu- 
lar kind  of  food,  but  from  a  particular  instinct  implanted  by  nature, 
which  leads  them  to  those  aliments  best  adapted  to  them.  By  this 
means  all  the  productions  of  the  earth  and  of  the  sea  are  properly  dis- 
tributed ;  not  only  every  thing  which  breathes  is  amply  provided  for, 
but  those  substances  which,  becoming  putrid,  might  be  prejudicial, 
hav^e  their  particular  uses.  For  the  wholesome  plants  would  perish  ; 
the  carcasses  of  birds,  fish,  and  animals,  w^ould  exhale  the  most  poi- 
sonous eflSuvia  ;  but  that  it  has  pleased  the  all-wise  Creator  to  implant 
in  animals  an  inclination  for  these  different  substances,  which  furnish 
them  with  an  agreeable  aUment. 

Nutritious  matters  offer  themselves  spontaneously  to  the  greater 
part  of  animals  ;  they  must  therefore  possess  great  skill  in  discern- 
ing them,  and  must  employ  great  precaution  in  their  choice.  They 
are  so  constituted,  that  what  is  liighly  nourishing  to  one  species,  is 
injurious  and  sometimes  poisonous  to  another.  From  the  experiments 
and  observations  of  botanists,  it  appears  that  oxen  eat  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-six  species  of  grass,  and  reject  two  hundred  and  eighteen; 
that  goats  eat  of  four  hundred  and  forty-nine,  and  leave  untouched 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six ;  that  sheep  feed  upon  three  hundred 
and  eighty-seven,  and  there  are  one  hundred  and  forty-one  which 
they  will  not  feed  upon ;  that  the  horse  eats  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-two,  and  refuses  two  hundred  and  twelve.  Some  animals  are 
obliged  to  go  to  a  great  distance  in  search  of  nourishment;  and  obtain 
it  with  much  labour,  by  digging  for  it  in  the  earth,  or  collecting  it 
from  various  parts  where  it  is  thinly  scattered.  Some  choose  the  dead 
of  night  to  satisfy  their  hunger  in  safety  ;  others  obtain  their  food  by 
separating  the  grain  from  its  husks,  bruising  them  if  hard  ;  and  some 
swallow  small  stones  to  assist  them  in  digesting.  Many  would  pe- 
rish if  they  did  not  carry  provisions  into  their  nests  against  a  future 
time  of  need.  Others  take  their  prey  by  having  recourse  to  wiles 
and  cunning,  by  laying  snares,  and  by  digging  holes  in  the  ground  ; 
and  some  pursue  their  prey  in  the  air,  in  water,  and  upon  land. 

The  more  diversified  is  the  food  of  animals,  and  their  manner  of 
procuring  it,  the  more  admirable  is  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God 
displayed  in  their  preservation.  Let  us  then  reflect  upon  the  glorious 
perfections  of  our  Heavenly  Father  ;  for  the  occasions  which  we  find 
to  magnify  his  name  are  more  frequent  than  the  day. 


276 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


JULY  XXXL 

MEDITATION  UPON  THE  WORKS  OF  NATURE. 

0  Father,  Creator  of  the  universe,  and  Preserver  of  every  living; 
creature,  how  great  is  thy  majesty  !  How  many  are  the  wonders 
which  thou  unfoldest  to  the  eyes  of  man  !  Thy  hand  has  extended 
the  heavens  and  planted  them  with  stars.  To-day  I  see  the  sun 
animate  nature,  and  blaze  above  the  horizon  in  meridian  splendour ; 
but  perhaps,  ere  to-morrow's  dawn,  to  me  no  more  will  the  groves, 
the  meadows,  and  the  valleys,  repeat  the  melody  of  the  birds.  I  feel 
that  I  am  mortal ;  my  strength  fades  like  the  grass  of  the  field,  and 
withers  like  the  falling  autumnal  leaf ;  the  strongest  among  us 
knows  not  how  soon  the  awful  summons  shall  be  heard,  Man,  return 
to  dust ! 

When  laid  low  in  the  grave,  where  darkness  and  mournful  silence 
reign,  when  the  worms  are  gnawing  our  once  fair  bodies,  what  will 
remain  to  us  of  our  earthly  possessions  ?  Will  not  they  be  all  lost  to 
us,  though  our  utmost  desires  had  been  gratified,  and  our  cup  of  liap- 
piness  during  life  had  been  full  1 

How  foolish  it  is  to  be  attached  to  the  perishing  things  of  this  world ! 
to  aspire  after  great  riches  ;  to  be  ambitious  of  honours,  vain  and 
transitory  ;  and,  suffering  ourselves  to  be  dazzled  and  misled  by  the 
false  lustre  of  their  meretricious  charms,  exchange  our  innocence  and 
peace  of  mind,  for  envy,  pride,  and  deceit. 

If,  too  greedy  in  our  desires,  we  have  pursued  the  phantom  of  wealth 
beyond  the  just  limits  of  moderation,  let  us  humble  ourselves  before 
our  God,  and  receive  that  chastisement  his  wisdom  shall  direct. 

Man,  blinded  by  his  pride  and  his  presumption,  would  wish  to  pre- 
scribe laws  to  his  Creator,  and  dares  to  blame  the  decrees  of  eternal 
Wisdom.  But  the  all-powerful  and  benevolent  Father  and  Friend  of 
man  loves  him  better  than  he  does  himself,  by  refusing  to  grant  his 
foolish  desires. 

When  the  morning  opens  to  our  rejoiced  sight,  the  green  fields  and 
budding  flowers  glistening  with  dew,  and  the  wings  of  the  night  have 
cooled  the  burning  summer  heat,  wisdom  cries  out  to  us.  Why  will 
you  cherish  in  your  bosoms  gloomy  thoughts  of  futurity,  and  give 
yourselves  up  to  doubts  and  heart-consuming  care  ?  Is  not  God  our 
Father,  and  are  we  not  his  children  ]  Will  not  He  who  made  us  also 
provide  for  usl  Our  existence  is  not  confined  to  this  earth  ;  it  extends 
to  heaven.  Our  present  life  is  but  for  a  moment,  and  the  greatest 
earthly  happiness  is  no  more  than  a  dream  ;  we  are  designed  for  ano- 
ther state,  that  of  immortal  beings. 

The  contemplation  of  immortality  elevates  our  souls  above  the 
earth  and  all  present  things,  beyond  the  universe  and  all  the  heavenly 
spheres,  unto  the  everlasting  Fountain  of  glory  and  light. 

When  seduced  by  false  pleasures  from  the  path  of  virtue,  may  sen- 
timents like  these  awaken  our  hearts  to  a  sense  of  our  duty,  and  a 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


277 


conviction  that  true  pleasure  only  can  arise  from  a  consciousness  that 
we  are  employing  our  time  and  our  talents  in  the  promotion  of  truth 
and  of  all  good!  The  ill-acquired  honours  of  the  wicked  soon  pe- 
rish ;  and  the  bitterness  of  anguish  succeeds  their  short-lived  glory, 
and  false,  fleeting,  mistaken  pleasures. 

We  are  but  as  pilgrims  journeying  through  a  country,  at  the  ut- 
most boimdary  of  which  we  see  the  rays  of  glory  emanating  ;  and 
nothing  short  of  this  should  possess  our  hearts  :  unallured  by  the  plea- 
sures, and  undazzled  by  the  splendour,  the  riches,  and  the  honours, 
that  would  seduce  us  from  the  true  and  only  road  to  immortal  felicity, 
we  should  steadily  hold  on  our  course,  in  the  confidence  of  integrity, 
of  virtue,  and  of  ability  ;  praying  to  the  Almighty  God,  who  with 
pleasure  and  parental  love  watches  over  us,  that  in  the  infinity  of  his 
goodness  he  will  be  pleased  to  soften  our  hearts,  that  they  may  not 
become  hardened  by  the  scenes  we  are  obhgedto  pass  through,  in  our 
mortal  career,  and  that  all  our  thoughts  may  be  purified  by  charity 
and  religion  ;  that  we  may  not  covet  outward  grandeur,  but  be  con- 
tent with  our  condition  and  allotment,  faithful  in  the  discharge  of 
every  duty,  and  worthy  the  name  of  Christians. 


AUGUST  I. 

VARIETIES  OF  STATURE  IN  MEN. 

The  height  of  the  human  body  varies  considerably  ;  the  ordinary 
measure  of  statm-e  is  from  five  to  six  feet.  Some  inhabitants  of  the 
northern  countries  and  the  borders  of  the  Icy  Sea  are  not  five  feet 
high.  The  shortest  men  yet  known  inhabit  the  mountains  in  the 
interior  of  the  island  of  Madagascar,  being  scarcely  four  feet  high. 
Many  of  these  diminutive  people  came  originally  from  countries 
where  the  inhabitants  are  of  the  ordinary  size  ;  and  the  chief  cause 
of  their  degeneracy  must  be  attributed  to  the  nature  of  the  climate 
which  they  now  inhabit.  The  excessive  cold  that  prevails  during  the 
greatest  part  of  the  year,  causes  the  vegetables  and  animals  there  to 
be  less  than  in  other  cHmates  ;  and  why  may  not  man  be  aflfected  by 
the  same  circumstances'? 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  countries  whose  inhabitants  are  of  the 
most  gigantic  size.  The  most  celebrated  of  these  are  the  Patago- 
nians,  who  dwell  near  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  They  are  said  to  be 
from  eight  to  ten  feet  high.  And  it  certainly  seems  by  no  means  im- 
possible that  there  should  exist  men  greater  in  stature  than  Europe- 
ans ;  besides  the  traces  we  meet  of  them  in  the  histories  and  monu- 
ments of  antiquity,  we  have  sometimes  seen  in  our  climate  men  above 
six  feet  and  a  half  in  height,  perfectly  well  formed,  healthy,  and  ca- 
pable of  every  exertion  and  labour  which  demands  force  and  agility. 
A.dorable  Creator !  thy  wisdom  is  also  evident  in  the  varieties  of  the 
human  form.    All  that  thou  hast  created,  whether  in  the  animal  ve- 

24 


278  STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 

getable,  or  mineral  kingdom,  has  been  formed  by  certain  rules,  and  or- 
ganized by  certain  laws  ;  whilst  every  thing  bears  thy  image,  and  is 
strongly  impressed  with  thy  power. 


AUGUST  II. 

VEGETATION  OF  THE   STALK  OF  WHEAT. 

The  wheat-plant  is  composed  of  the  principal  stem,  of  the  stalks 
growing  from  its  sides,  and  of  the  branches  which  proceed  from  these. 
The  stalk  begins  to  form  as  soon  as  four  green  leaves  appear.  If  the 
little  plant  is  then  taken,  and  the  lower  leaf  carefully  separated,  a 
small  white  point  may  be  seen,  which  in  time  becomes  a  stalk,  and 
the  root  appears  under  the  first  leaf.  The  white  point  springs  from  a 
knot,  opens  out  into  green  leaves,  and  pushes  from  the  side  a  new 
point.  However,  these  different  points,  and  the  stalks  which  grow 
from  them,  are  not  all  designed  to  bear  fruit ;  many  of  them  decay 
and  perish.  When  the  principal  stem  has  acquired  some  growth,  a 
considerable  revolution  takes  place  in  the  plant,  and  all  the  sap  is 
then  employed  in  the  formation  of  flowers  and  fruit. 

But  before  that,  and  when  the  plant  begins  to  vegetate,  four  or  six 
leaves  are  seen  to  form  and  spring  from  as  many  knots.  These  pre- 
pare the  nutritive  juice  for  the  ear,  which  is  seen  very  diminutive  in 
spring  upon  opening  the  stalk  through  the  middle.  When  the  plant 
begins  to  bud,  the  two  upper  leaves  of  the  stalk  join  together,  em- 
brace the  ear  of  corn,  and  protect  it  till  it  has  acquired  some  degree  of 
consistence.  Before  that,  all  the  knots,  particularly  the  two  last, 
though  soft,  are  closely  connected,  leaving  very  little  space  between 
them.  But,  as  soon  as  the  ear  has  pierced  its  coverings,  these  parts 
lengthen,  and  the  leaves  give  them  all  the  juices  they  contain.  The 
knots  gradually  become  harder,  and  the  lower  leaves  dry  up  ;  the 
juices  which  nourished  them  are  then  only  employed  in  supporting 
the  stem. 

After  all  these  preparations,  the  blossom  appears.  It  is  a  little 
white  tube,  very  delicate,  and  grows  from  the  seed  leaf.  Several 
more  small  stalks  surround  this  bag.  They  are  at  first  yellowish, 
then  brown,  and  just  before  they  fade  and  fall  off  become  black.  The 
principal  use  of  these  stalks  is  to  nourish  a  little  cluster  in  the  bag  of 
grains.  When  the  corn  has  ceased  to  blossom,  we  see  grains  which 
contain  the  germ,  and  which  arrive  at  perfection  long  before  the  fa- 
rinaceous matter  appears.  This  matter  gradually  increases,  whilst 
the  sap  collects  round  an  extremely  fine  and  delicate  part,  resembling 
down.  This  substance,  which  exists  after  the  blossoms,  serves  to 
support  the  opening  of  the  great  tube  passing  through  the  corn.  The 
fruit  begins  to  ripen  as  soon  as  it  has  attained  its  full  size  ;  at  that 
time  the  stalk  and  the  ear  become  white,  and  the  green  colour  of  the 
grain  changes  into  yellow  or  light  brown.    The  grains,  however,  are 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


279 


still  very  soft,  and  their  farina  contains  much  moisture  ;  but  when  the 
corn  has  arrived  at  maturity,  they  become  hard  and  dry. 

We  cannot  sufficiently  admire  the  wisdom  manifested  in  the  struc- 
ture and  vegetation  of  corn  ;  those  who  are  accustomed  to  reflect  will 
discover  it  in  the  least  stalk.  Even  the  leaves  which  surround  it  be- 
fore it  has  attained  its  full  growth,  have  their  use  :  and  they  seem  to 
be  placed  round  the  stalk  for  the  same  reason  that  an  architect  raises 
a  scaffolding  round  a  building  he  is  about  to  construct,  and  when  it  is 
finished  removes  the  scaffolding.  For  when  the  corn  has  acquired 
its  full  size  and  strength,  the  leaves  which  defended  it  dry  and  perish. 
It  is  some  months  before  the  ear  ventures  to  appear  and  expose  itself 
to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  ;  but  as  soon  as  all  the  preparations 
for  the  flowers  and  fruit  are  ready,  it  appears  in  a  few  days.  The 
stalk  and  the  ears  of  corn  are  both  constructed  with  equal  intelligence. 
Merciful  and  beneficent  Father  !  may  all  those  wlio  now  walk 
through  the  fields  of  wheat,  and  joyfully  behold  the  waving  corn,  ex- 
perience all  the  sentiments  of  love  and  gratitude  which  thy  liberal 
bounty  ought  to  excite  in  their  hearts ;  and  may  they  unceasingly 
endeavour  to  imitate,  and  by  their  actions  deserve,  such  goodness  ? 


AUGUST  III. 

DOG-DAYS. 

The  sun  has  not  only  a  diurnal  motion,  which  carries  him  from  east 
to  west,  and  which  occasions  the  revolution  of  day  and  night ;  he 
seems  also  to  have  another  sensible  motion  from  the  west  to  the  east : 
in  consequence  of  which,  at  the  expiration  of  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  days,  he  is  near  the  same  stars  from  which  he  was  separated  for 
six  months,  and  again  approached  during  the  other  six  months  of  the 
year. 

Hence  ancient  astronomers  have  divided  the  seasons  by  the  stars 
which  the  sun  meets  in  his  annual  course.  This  course  they  divided 
into  twelve  constellations  ;  these  are  the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac, 
which  they  called  the  twelve  houses  of  the  sun,  because  he  appears 
to  remain  a  month  in  each  of  them. 

The  summer  season  begins  when  the  sun  enters  into  the  sign 
Cancer,  which  happens  on  the  twenty-first  or  twenty-second  of  June. 
It  is  then  that  he  attains  his  highest  degree  of  elevation  above  the 
horizon,  and  that  his  rays  fall  most  directly  upon  us ;  and  at  this 
juncture  the  summer  heat  begins,  which  becomes  more  intense  in 
the  ensuing  month,  as  our  earth  becomes  more  heated  by  the  burning 
rays  of  the  sun.  Hence  it  happens,  that  the  month  of  July  and  a 
part  of  August  are  generally  the  hottest  portion  of  the  year ;  and 
experience  has ''proved,  that  it  is  from  the  twentieth  of  July  to  the 
twentieth  of  August  that  the  greatest  degree  of  heat  prevails.  Of  all 
the  stars  with  which  the  sun  comes  in  conjunction,  the  dog-star  is  the 


280 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


most  brilliant  ;  lost  in  the  sun's  rays,  it  disappears  from  us  for  a  month, 
(as  is  the  case  with  all  the  stars  that  the  sun  meets  in  his  course,) 
and  the  month  in  which  it  is  not  seen  is  the  time  called  the  dog-days. 

Those  observations  w^ould  be  of  little  importance,  if  they  did  not 
tend  to  combat  a  prejudice  deeply  rooted  in  the  minds  of  many  people. 
An  ancient  tradition  attributes  the  heat  experienced  at  this  time  to 
the  influence  of  the  dog-star  upon  the  earth.  But  this  opinion  is 
absurd ;  because  the  occultation  of  the  dog-star  in  the  sun's  rays  does 
not  always  take  place  at  the  time  we  call  the  dog-days.  These  days, 
properly  speaking,  do  not  begin  till  the  end  of  August,  and  termi- 
nate about  the  twentieth  of  September.  And  as  the  dog-star,  or  Sirius, 
always  advances  farther,  in  time  it  will  reach  the  months  of  October 
and  November,  and  at  last  to  January  ;  so  that  the  most  intense  cold 
of  the  year  will  prevail  in  the  dog-days. 

>  When  we  consider  this  we  shall  perceive  that  it  is  impossible  that 
this  star  shall  occasion  the  great  heats  wdiich  we  experience.  When 
therefore  in  the  supposed  dog-days  every  thing  is  languishing  or 
consumed,  the  waters  dried  up,  and  the  springs  fail,  matters  subject  to 
fermentation  become  sour,  animals  are  attacked  with  madness,  and 
men  with  various  maladies  ;  it  is  not  because  a  star  is  concealed 
behind  the  sun,  but  from  the  excessive  heat  of  the  weather,  occasioned 
by  another  cause. 

It  is  time  then  to  renounce  a  prejudice  so  childish  and  absurd.  To 
believe  that  certain  figures,  which  the  imagination  forms  in  the  sky, 
can  have  any  influece  upon  our  earth,  or  upon  the  health  or  the  reason 
of  man,  bespeaks  a  great  want  of  judgment.  It  is  not  the  stars,  but 
ourselves,  that  we  ought  to  accuse  of  all  ihe  evils  which  we  suffer. 
Can  we  beheve  that  an  all-pure  and  good  Being,  who  governs  the 
universe,  has  created  any  thing  in  the  heavens  or  in  the  earth  for  the 
torment  and  misery  of  his  creatures  ?  This  would  be  believing  in  an 
inevitable  fatality  ;  which  we  cannot  admit  of,  if  we  acknowledge 
a  Creator  whose  essence  is  wisdom  and  goodness.  Let  us  then, 
instead  of  being  guilty  of  this  error,  glorify  oar  God,  and  assure  to 
ourselves  tranquillity  and  peace  of  mind,  in  the  belief  that  we  are 
under  the  peculiar  care  of  a  superintending  Providence,  without  whose 
permission  not  even  a  hair  of  our  heads  can  perish. 


AUGUST  IV. 

SLEEP. 

People  fall  asleep  with  more  or  less  rapidity,  according  to  their 
natural  constitution  and  present  state  of  liealth.  But  whether  sleep 
arrives  soon  or  late,  it  always  comes  in  the  same  manner  ;  and  the 
preceding  circumstances  are  the  same  in  all  men. 

The  fiVst  thing  that  happens  when  we  begin  to  sleep,  is  the  stupor 
of  our  senses;  which,  no  longer  receiving  external  impressions,, fall 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


281 


into  a  state  of  inactivity.  Hence  it  follows  that  the  attention  dimi- 
nishes, and  at  length  ceases ;  the  memory  becomes  confused  ;  the 
passions  are  calmed  ;  and  the  connexion  between  our  thoughts  and  ^ 
reasoning  faculty  is  interrupted.  As  long  as  we  feel  the  influence  of 
sleep,  it  is  only  the  first  degree  of  it ;  we  may  then  be  said  to  be  in  a 
dozing  state.  When  we  are  really  asleep,  we  have  no  longer  that 
consciousness  and  reflection  which  depends  upon  the  exercise  of 
memory  ;  our  eyehds  wink,  open,  and  shut,  of  themselves;  the  head 
reclines  in  an  easy  position  ;  and  when  our  sleep  is  quite  profound,  all 
voluntary  functions  are  suspended;  but  the  vital  functions,  and  all 
those  which  do  not  depend  upon  the  will,  are  still  performed  with 
vigour.  A  sweet  sleep  refreshes  and  repairs  our  exhausted  nature  ; 
and  we  rise  from  our  slumbers  with  increased  energy,  capable  of  again 
renewing  the  fatigue  of  the  day. 

All  these  circumstances  are  well  calculated  to  make  us  acknow- 
ledge the  goodness  of  God,  so  mercifully  extended  to  us  in  his  tender 
care  to  procure  us  the  blessing  of  sleep.  We  ought  to  be  still  more 
thankful,  when  we  consider  the  eflfects  of  sleep  being  ushered  in  by  a 
complete  suspension  of  activity  in  the  senses  ;  and  that  it  steals  upon 
us  unawares,  and  in  a  way  not  to  be  resisted.  The  first  of  these  cir- 
cumstances renders  it  more  sound  and  refreshing ;  the  other  makes 
it  an  unavoidable  necessity.  And  how  wisely  is  it  ordered,  that  by 
the  spontaneous  closing  of  the  eyelid  the  eye  is  defended  when  we 
are  not  able  to  preserve  it  from  the  dangers  to  which  it  would  have 
been  subjected  ! 

Let  therefore  the  hour  in  which  we  dispose  ourselves  to  enjoy  the 
sweet  influence  of  sleep  be  always  preceded  by  thanksgivings  to  our 
Heavenly  Father.  Let  us  not  only  bless  him  because  the  days  happily 
succeed  each  other,  but  also  because  he  has  so  constituted  us,  that  a 
state  in  which  for  a  space  we  repose  from  the  cares,  the  troubles,  and 
the  vexations  of  the  world,  is  to  us  a  state  of  refreshment,  in  which 
we  require  new  force  and  gain  accumulated  vigour.  Let  reflections 
like  these  be  the  last  which  take  place  before  sleep  surprises  and  locks 
up  our  soul  in  silken  fetters  ;  and  when  morning  dissolves  the  charm, 
let  love  and  gratitude  to  our  God  be  the  first  emotion  of  our  heart. 


AUGUST  V. 

DIVISIBILITY  OF  MATTER. 

To  be  convinced  of  the  infinite  divisibility  of  bodies,  we  have  only 
to  walk  into  a  garden,  and  inhale  the  sweet  incense  that  rises  from 
a  thousand  flowers.  How  inconceivably  small  must  be  the  odoriferous 
particles  of  a  carnation,  which  diffuse  themselves  through  a  whole 
garden,  and  every  where  meet  our  sense  of  smell  !  If  this  is  not 
sufficient,  let  us  consider  some  other  objects  of  nature  ;  as,  for  instance, 
one  of  those  silk  threads,  the  work  of  a  poor  worm.  Suppose  this 
24*  ^  2L 


282 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


thread  is  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long-,  it  weighs  but  a  single 
grain.  Again,  consider  into  how  many  perceptible  parts  a  length  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  can  be  divided.  A  single  inch  may  be 
divided  into  six  hundred  parts,  each  as  thick  as  a  hair,  and  conse- 
quently perfectly  visible.  Hence  a  single  grain  of  silk  can  be  divided 
into  at  least  two  millions  five  hundred  and  ninety-two  thousand  parts, 
each  of  which  may  be  seen  without  the  help  of  a  microscope.  And 
as  every  one  of  these  parts  may  be  again  divided  into  several  more 
millions  of  parts,  till  the  division  is  carried  beyond  the  reach  of  thought, 
it  is  evident  that  this  progression  may  be  infinite.  The  last  particles 
which  are  no  longer  divisible  by  human  industry  must  still  have 
extension,  and  be  consequently  susceptible  of  division,  though  we  are 
no  longer  able  to  effect  it. 

Again,  if  we  examine  the  animal  kingdom,  we  shall  discover  still 
further  proofs  of  the  infinite  divisibility  of  matter.  Pepper  has  been 
put  into  a  glass  of  water,  and  on  looking  through  a  microscope,  a 
multitude  of  animalcules  were  seen  in  the  water,  a  thousand  million 
times  less  than  a  grain  of  sand.  How  inconceivably  minute  then  must 
be  the  feet^  muscles,  vessels,  nerves,  and  organs  of  sense,  in  these 
animals  !  And  how  small  their  eggs  and  their  young  ones,  and  the 
fluids  which  circulate  in  them  !  Here  the  imagination  loses  itself, 
our  ideas  become  confused,  and  we  are  incapable  of  giving  form  to 
such  very  small  particles. 

What  still  more  claims  our  attention  is,  that  the  more  we  magnify, 
by  means  of  glasses,  the  productions  of  nature,  the  more  perfect  and 
beautiful  do  they  appear ;  whilst  with  works  of  art  it  is  generally  quite 
contrary ;  for,  when  these  are  seen  through  a  microscope,  we  find 
them  rough,  coarse,  and  imperfect,  though  executed  by  the  most  able 
artists,  and  with  the  utmost  care. 

Thus  the  Almighty  has  impressed  even  upon  the  smallest  atom 
the  stamp  of  his  infinity.  The  most  subtile  body  is  as  a  world,  in 
which  millions  of  parts  unite,  and  are  arranged  in  the  most  perfect 
order.  What  astonishing  wisdom  is  that  which  operates  with  as  much 
order  and  perfection  in  the  minutest  as  in  the  largest  works  !  How 
infinite  that  power  which  has  brought  out  of  nothing  such  a  multitude 
of  different  bodies  !  And  how  gracious  is  that  goodness  which  so  richly 
displays  itself  in  the  most  minute  productions,  seeing  that  each  of 
them  has  its  perfection  and  use. 

Considerations  like  these  tend  to  make  us  feel  the  limits  of  our 
capacity  ;  the  smallest  insect,  the  least  grain  of  dust,  may  convince 
us  that  there  are  thousands  of  things  of  which  we  are  ignorant,  and 
cannot  explain.  Let  him  who  boasts  of  his  talents  attempt  to  enu- 
merate the  parts  of  which  the  body  of  an  animal,  a  million  of  times 
less  than  a  grain  of  sand,  is  composed.  Let  him  try  to  determine 
how  minute  one  of  those  rays  of  light  must  be,  when  several  mil- 
lions of  them  can  pass  through  an  opening  not  larger  than  the  eye  of 
a  needle.  His  ideas  will  soon  be  confused  ;  and  he  will  be  obhged  to 
acknowledge  his  ignorance,  and  confess  the  narrow  limits  of  his  capa- 
city.   How  then  can  we  be  proud  of  our  knowledge,  and  have  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  283 

presumption  to  blame  the  decrees  of  Providence,  or  dispute  the  ar- 
rangements he  has  made  in  nature  1  It  is  our  duty,  and  even  our 
glory,  to  acknowledge  our  ignorance,  and  in  all  humility  bow  before 
the  infinite  God. 


AUGUST  VI. 

EXTERNAL  STRUCTURE  OF  INSECTS. 

Men  in  general  are  too  apt  to  judge  those  animals  only  worth 
their  attention  which  are  most  remarkable  for  their  bulk.  The  horse, 
the  bull,  the  elephant,  and  other  large  animals,  seem  to  attract  our 
attention,  whilst  we  scarcely  condescend  to  regard  those  innumerable 
multitudes  of  small  insects  which  fill  the  air,  the  vegetables,  and  the 
dust.  How  many  insects  do  we  trample  upon]  How  many  cater- 
pillars do  we  destroy  1  And  how  many  flies  buzz  around  us  without 
exciting  our  curiosity,  or  any  other  thought  than  how  to  deprive  them 
of  life  !  But  let  us  never  forget,  that  the  same  wisdom  and  power  is 
manifested  in  the  structure  of  the  meanest- worm,  as  in  that  of  the 
lion  or  the  elephant. 

The  bodies  of  the  greater  part  of  insects  are  composed  of  several 
rings,  which  close  on  each  other,  and  have  a  share  in  all  the  motions 
of  the  a^nimal.  The  essential  characteristic  which  distinguishes  in- 
sects from  other  animals  is,  that  they  have  no  solid  bones.  And 
much  wisdom  is  manifested  in  this  part  of  their  formation  ;  the  mo- 
tions which  are  common  to  all  insects,  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
obhged  to  seek  their  nourishment,  and  the  changes  to  which  they  are 
subjected,  could  not  be  so  easily  performed,  if,  instead  of  those  flexible 
rings,  which  separate  from  and  approach  nearer  one  another  as  the 
animal  wills,  their  bodies  had  been  connected  and  strengthened  by 
bones. 

It  is  observable  in  several  insects  that  they  have  the  power  of  con- 
tracting or  enlarging  their  heads  at  pleasure  ;  that  they  can  elongate 
or  shorten  them,  conceal  or  make  them  appear,  as  their  inchnation  or 
necessity  urges.  There  are  others,  whose  heads  always  preserve  the 
same  form.  The  mouth  of  insects  is  generally  provided  with  a  sort  of 
teeth,  or  with  a  trunk.  This  disposition  of  the  head  is  necessary, 
both  on  the  account  of  the  aliments  which  the  insects  feed  upon,  and 
because  of  the  dangers  to  which  they  are  exposed. 

Many  insects  have  not  the  faculty  of  vision  ;  but  this  is  compen- 
sated by  their  more  exquisite  feeling,  or  some  other  sense.  They 
have  two  kinds  of  eyes:  those  which  are  bright  and  smooth  are 
usually  very  few  in  number  ;  but  those  eyes  which  resemble  net- 
work or  shagreen,  and  of  which  the  cwnea  is  cut  in  angles,  are  ex- 
tremely numerous ;  there  are  sometimes  thousands  of  them,  and  as 
they  are  not  moveable,  this  defect  is  supplied  by  their  number  and 
position.    The  antermse,  or  horns,  with  which  most  insects  are  pro- 


284 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


vided,  are  of  particular  use  to  them  ;  they  are  extended  before  the 
body  when  it  moves,  and  feeUng  out  the  way,  not  only  inform  the 
creature  of  the  dangers  which  threaten  it,  but  also  enable  it  to  disco- 
ver the  aliments  best  suited  to  its  nature. 

The  legs  of  insects  are  either  scaly  or  membranous  :  the  former 
move  by  means  of  several  joints  ;  and  the  others,  which  are  softer, 
move  in  all  directions.  Sometimes  both  these  species  of  legs  are 
found  in  the  same  insect.  Some  insects  have  several  hundred  feet, 
but  their  motion  is  not  accelerated  by  them. 

The  variety  observable  in  the  form  and  constitution  of  the  limbs  of 
insects  is  almost  infinite  ;  and  the  lives  of  many  men  would  scarcely 
suffice  to  describe  the  different  figures  of  this  minute  part  of  the  cre- 
ation. How  curiously  must  the  legs  of  those  insects  be  constructed 
which  fasten  on  smooth  and  polished  surfaces  !  How  elastic  the  legs 
of  those  which  leap  !  and  how  strong  must  those  be  which  dig  in  the 
ground  !  Two  or  four  wings  are  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  body. 
Some  of  them  are  as  transparent  as  fine  gauze,  others  are  scaly  and 
mealy ;  some  are  without  any  covering,  others  are  concealed  in  cases 
or  sheaths.  At  the  sides,  or  at  the  extremity  of  the  body,  there  are 
orifices  something  like  the  pupil  of  the  eye  ;  they  are  called  stigmata, 
and  are  the  organs  of  respiration.  How  various  are  the  forms  of  the 
insects  which  walk,  fly,  leap,  and  crawl !  and  yet  in  all  a  most  perfect 
harmony  and  proportion  of  form  is  observable.  And  not  to  acknow- 
ledge in  all  this  the  infinite  wisdom  of  the  Creator,  is  the  height  of 
folly  and  absurdity  ;  we  are  only  virtuous  and  rational  in  as  much  as 
we  confess  an  Almighty  and  Supreme  Power,  and  bless  and  adore 
him  in  all  the  works  of  the  creation. 


AUGUST  vn. 

COMPARISON  BETWEEN  THE  SENSES  OP  MEN  AND  THOSE 
OF  ANIMALS. 

Are  any  animals  endowed  wäth  more  perfect  senses  than  man  ?  In 
certain  particular  instances  some  of  them  undoubtedly  are  ;  but  in 
general  man  is  more  highly  favoured  in  this  respect  than  all  other 
animals.  It  is  indeed  asserted,  that  the  spider  has  a  finer  feeling ; 
and  the  vulture,  the  bee,  and  the  dog,  a  keener  smell.  We  know 
that  by  means  of  this  sense  the  hound  pursues  his  game ;  and  other 
dogs  discover  things  beneath  the  ground.  The  hog  also,  guided  by 
his  smell,  digs  in  the  earth  for  food.  Stags  are  supposed  to  have  the 
sense  of  hearing  so  acute,  that  they  can  hear  the  sound  of  bells  at 
several  miles  distance  ;  and  the  mole  hears  better  below  the  earth, 
than  man,  who  dwells  upon  the  surface. 

With  regard  to  sight,  the  eagle  among  birds,  and  the  lynx  among 
quadrupeds,  are  said  to  be  much  more  perfect  than  man.  Though 
these  observations  are  true ;  yet  if  we  consider  animals  in  general. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


285 


and  compare  them  with  man,  we  must  immediately  be  struck  with 
his  great  pre-eminence  in  the  creation.  He  is  by  nature  endowed 
with  five  senses  ;  and  this  advantage  is  not  enjoyed  by  one  hah""  of 
animals.  The  zoophites,  which  form  the  connecting  link  between 
the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms,  have  only  the  sense  of  feeling. 
Many  animals  have  only  two  senses,  others  three,  and  those  which 
have  five  are  considered  as  the  most  perfect  class.  But  these  have 
very  seldom  all  their  senses  more  perfect  than  men,  some  of  whom 
enjoy  them  in  a  very  exquisite  state.  Some  Indians  can  judge  by 
their  smell  what  quantity  of  alloy  is  mixed  with  the  precious  metals, 
as  well  as  we  can  by  the  touchstone.  Others  will  discover  at  a  very 
great  distance  the  retreat  of  a  wild  beast.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
Antilles  will  distinguish  by  their  smell  whether  a  Frenchman  or  a  ne- 
gro had  last  passed  along  the  road. 

The  acuteness  of  his  senses  in  some  degree  compensates  the  wild 
Indian  for  his  want  of  education.  Many  people,  by  exercise  and  great 
attention,  have  improved  certain  senses  to  a  wonderful  degree  of  per- 
fection ;  and  if  man,  like  other  animals,  was  destitute  of  the  reason- 
ing faculty,  and  had  no  means  of  procuring  food,  or  preserving  himself 
from  danger,  but  his  organs  of  sensation ;  these  by  continual  exercise 
would  doubtless  have  acquired  the  highest  degree  of  refinement  and 
acuteness.  But  constituted  as  he  is,  man  has  no  occasion  for  more 
acute  senses  than  those  he  already  possesses.  The  gift  of  reason 
abundantly  compensates  him  for  the  advantages  that  some  animals 
have  over  him ;  and  we  may  even  assert  with  confidence,  that  if  our 
senses  were  more  refined,  we  should  experience  great  inconvenience 
from  them.  Let  us  take  for  example  the  sense  of  hearing  ;  if  we  had 
this  sense  so  acute  as  the  safety  of  some  animals  requires  it  to  be  in 
them,  the  most  distant  noise,  and  the  confused  clashing  of  a  vast 
number  of  sounds,  would  continually  interrupt  our  meditations  and 
repose,  and  prevent  our  most  noble  and  useful  occupations. 

Let  us  then  be  thankful  that  the  infinite  wisdom  of  God  has  so  well 
arranged  the  degree  of  our  sensations,  that  they  enable  us  fully  to 
enjoy  the  blessings  of  nature,  without  interrupting  the  workings  of 
the  soul.  The  limited  degree  of  our  senses  is  then  rather  to  be  con- 
sidered as  a  gain  than  a  loss ;  as  a  perfection,  rather  than  an  imper- 
fection :  and  happy  is  the  man  who  suflfers  his  reason  to  control  and 
restrain  his  senses,  when  they  impel  him  to  deviate  into  folly,  or 
plunge  into  the  mad  vortex  of  fashion. 


AUGUST  VIII. 

THUNDER. 

The  thunder  rolls  !  Consider,  O  man,  who  it  is  that  causes  this 
dreadful  roar  !  Who  is  it  that  darts  the  lightning  from  the  clouds  ? 


286 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


It  is  the  Lord  of  tlie  universe  ;  the  arm  of  the  mighty  God  hurls  the 
thunderbolt. 

Nature  reposes  in  his  hand ;  he  preserves  and  blesses  her ;  but 
his  voice  will  be  heard,  and  at  the  sound  thereof  the  heavens  shall 
be  consumed,  the  earth  devoured  by  the  flames,  and  they  sha)!  be  no 
more. 

The  thunder  peals  !  Dreadful  is  the  sky  involved  in  storms  !  The 
hghtning  flashes,  and  the  thunderbolt  is  shot !  Great  is  our  God, 
and  omnipotent  his  power  !  The  Lord  looks  down  from  his  throne, 
and  by  the  lightning's  gleam  we  see  the  grave  open  under  our  feet. 

When  the  God  of  heaven  rides  upon  the  whirlwind,  men  tremble 
and  are  afraid  ;  when  he  unveils  his  face  the  universe  turns  pale,  and 
none  can  behold  the  glory  of  his  countenance. 

The  sinner  hears  his  voice,  and  his  soul  sinks  appalled  ;  he  dare 
not  look  upon  him  whose  counsels  he  has  neglected.  The  good  man 
contemplates  the  majesty  of  God  without  fear  ;  and  his  soul  is  un- 
troubled amid  the  tempest's  howl  and  the  storm's  fierce  rage.  The 
Lord  shields  him  from  the  thunderbolt,  which  strikes  terror  into  the 
heart  of  the  wicked. 

And  though  it  is  the  will  of  his  Heavenly  Father  that  the  right- 
eous man  should  die,  he  cheerfully  resigns  his  soul  into  the  hands  of 
his  Maker ;  and  his  last  words  proclaim  his  inward  peace,  and  that 
whether  he  lives  or  dies,  his  only  hope  is  in  his  Saviour  and  his  God. 

He  who  directs  the  thunder  is  the  friend  and  all-consoling  hope  of 
the  Christian.  What  though  he  should  take  me  away  suddenly  from 
among  the  living  1  It  is  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  regions  of  light  and 
glory,  and  ever  drink  of  the  pure  fountain  of  bliss. 

He  who,  when  the  sky  is  serene,  and  every  wind  is  hushed,  glo- 
rifies his  Creator  with  joy  and  thanksgiving,  is  still  calm  and  un- 
daunted when  the  sinner  is  hiding  himself  from  the  threatening 
storm. 

But  whither  will  he  fly  1  Can  he  escape  the  eye  of  an  all-penetra- 
ting God  1  In  vain  does  he  attempt  to  hide  himself;  the  lightning 
pursues  and  smites  him  in  his  dark  retreat. 

Think  not  of  escaping  then,  O  ye  wicked,  nor  trust  that  flight  will 
save  you  ;  renounce  your  errors,  and  give  up  your  delusive  dreams  ; 
ye  cannot  conceal  yourselves  from  your  God,  who  is  every  whei^e  pre- 
sent. Whilst  the  thunder  roars,  you  tremble  and  are  troubled  ;  but 
the  tempest  ceases,  nature  breathes,  and  you  return  to  the  deceitful 
pleasures  that  have  bewildered  your  reason. 

But  if  you  would  obtain  pleasures  that  never  fail,  prostrate  your- 
selves before  the  throne  of  God  ;  implore  that  mercy,  which  is  never 
refused  to  the  penitent ;  and  forget  not  the  promises  that  you  made, 
the  vows  which  you  uttered,  in  the  hour  of  your  distress,  and  in  the 
moment  of  your  tribulation  ;  remembering  that  God  has  declared  he 
is  a  God  of  justice,  and  will  not  be  mocked. 

He  is  merciful  and  long  suflTering  ;  he  spares  the  rebeUious,  but  he 
will  not  spare  for  ever.  He  is  just,  and  before  his  holy  tribunal  we 
must  all  appear.    What  is  the  thunder  that  roars  over  our  heads  in 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


287 


comparison  of  that  awful  day,  when  we  shall  hear  the  sound  of  the 
trumpet ;  when  the  elements  themselves  shall  be  dissolved  by  fire  ; 
and  the  earth  and  all  that  it  contains  be  consumed  by  ardent  heat. 


AUGUST  IX. 

CONTEMPLATION  UPON  A  MEADOW. 

Ye  gloomy  and  majestic  woods,  where  the  fir-tree  rears  its  stately 
head,  where  the  tufted  oaks  spread  their  thickening  fohage  ;  and  ye 
rivers,  whose  clear  silver  streams  roll  among  the  blue  mountains,  or 
gently  glide  through  the  vales  below ;  with  you  I  love  to  roam,  and 
mark  the  landscape  lessening  on  my  sight,  till  all  is  wrapped  in 
shade ! 

But  now  other  beauties  invite  me  forth  ;  the  verdant  mead,  all  gay 
with  flowers,  attracts  me.  Vegetables  of  a  thousand  kinds  refresh 
the  air  ;  millions  of  insects,  their  painted  wings  glittering  in  the  sun, 
are  flying  from  flower  to  flower  in  sportive  mood  ;  whilst  others  are 
winding  through  the  dark  labyrinths  of  the  tufted  grass  ;  all  varying 
in  beauty,  and  each  seeking  for  food  and  pleasure. 

How  soothing  is  the  murmur  of  yon  limpid  stream,  as  its  waters 
gently  wash  the  flowers  that,  bending  over  the  grassy  bank,  oft  kiss 
the  dimpling  wave,  or  dance  reflected  on  its  surface  ! 

See  those  waving  plants  !  what  a  mild  lustre  the  sun  beams  on  the 
different  shades  of  green  !  Some  delicately  entwine  with  the  grass, 
and  mingle  with  it  their  beautiful  foliage  ;  others  proudly  rear  their 
heads  above  the  rest,  and  display  flowers  without  perfume  ;  whilst  the 
lovely  violet,  in  lowly  modesty  drest,  dwells  beneath  the  bank,  and 
scents  the  air  with  fragrant  odours.  Thus  we  often  see  the  man  of 
worth  and  integrity,  obscured  by  poverty,  unnoticed,  and  unregarded, 
diffuse  blessings  round  his  humble  sphere  ;  whilst  the  slave  of  igno- 
rance and  villany,  shrouded  in  the  all-protecting  garb  of  riches,  con- 
sumes in  idleness  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  receives  the  applause  of 
milhons. 

How  beautiful  is  nature  !  The  grass  and  flowers  grow  luxuriantly  ; 
the  trees  are  covered  with  leaves  ;  the  soft  zephyr  refreshes  us  ;  the 
flocks  wanton  in  the  pastures ;  the  little  lambs  declare  their  joy  by  a 
thousg-nd  sportive  skips,  and  frisk  lightly  over  the  mead.  The  green 
grass,  tipped  with  sweet  dew,  adorns  the  field  ;  the  leaves  tremble  in 
the  breeze,  and  the  melody  of  the  nightingale  rises  from  yonder  bush. 
Every  thing  is  joy,  every  thing  inspires  love  ;  it  reigns  on  the  hills  and 
in  the  valleys,  on  the  trees  and  in  the  groves. 

Nature  is  beautiful  even  in  her  least  productions.  The  sporting 
insects  pursue  each  other  in  the  grass ;  sometimes  lost  in  the  verdure, 
then  rising  and  displaying  their  gilded  wings,  dancing  in  the  sun- 
beam. The  butterfly  hovers  over  the  clover,  flutters  its  wings,  and 
seems  proud  of  its  charms.    The  buzzing  of  a  swarm  of  young  bees 


288 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


now  meets  my  ear.  See  the  flowers  bending  under  them  !  They 
have  gayly  flown  from  their  distant  home,  and  dispersed  themselves 
over  the  fields  and  gardens,  where  they  collect  the  honeyed  nectar  of 
the  flowers,  and  riot  in  luxurious  sweets  and  ever-varying  charms. 

Happy  is  the  man  whose  life  of  innocence  smoothly  flows  imbo- 
somed  in  nature's  sweetest  treasures.  The  creation  smiles  to  him, 
and  joy  gilds  his  glad  moments  ;  whether  reclining  in  the  evening 
shade,  or  brushing  with  hasty  steps  the  morning  dew.  Pleasure 
springs  for  him  from  every  fountain  ;  every  flower  yields  its  charms, 
and  every  grove  welcomes  him  to  its  hallowed  shade.  For  him  wild 
concerts  warble  in  the  air  ;  and  his  mind,  serene  as  a  summer's  day, 
knows  no  corroding,  heart-consuming  care  :  his  affections  are  pure  as 
the  untainted  breath  of  morn,  sweet  as  the  dew-washed  flowers: 
in  the  beauties  of  nature  he  sees  his  God,  and  to  him  devotes  his 
willing  soul. 


AUGUST  X. 

MISCHIEFS  CAUSED  BY  ANIMALS. 

It  is  distressing  to  see  some  of  the  finest  productions  of  nature  ex- 
posed to  the  ravages  of  animals.  Every  summer  we  observe  the 
mischievous  eflTects  of  the  rapacity  of  birds  and  insects  in  the  vege- 
table kingdom  !  How  many  trees  are  destroyed,  and  fruits  consumed, 
by  worms  and  caterpillars  !  And  how  much  necessary  sustenance  we 
are  deprived  of  by  the  insatiable  sparrow  and  greedy  raven  !  These 
and  similar  complaints  are  often  uttered  by  men  who  seem  to  imagine 
that  certain  animals  only  exist  to  torment  mankind.  It  is  true,  there 
is  some  foundation  for  such  complaints  ;  and  it  must  be  gianted  that 
some  creatures  do  occasion  much  mischief.  It  is  more  easy  to  exter- 
minate wolves,  lions,  and  other  wild  beasts,  than  to  extirpate  insects, 
whose  numerous  swarms  cover  a  whole  country.  In  Peru  a  species 
of  ant  called  chako  is  a  terrible  scourge  to  the  inhabitants  ;  and  their 
lives  would  be  endangered  if  they  did  not  use  precautions  to  get  rid  of 
these  formidable  insects.  The  devastation  made  by  caterpillars  on  our 
fruit-trees,  and  by  mice  in  our  fields  is  well  known. 

But  however  great  these  inconveniences  may  be,  they  do  not  au- 
thorize such  bitter  complaints  as  some  people  make.  We  are  pleased 
to  see  the  animals  which  are  mischievous  to  us  destroy  one  another ; 
we  think  we  may  without  injustice  deprive  animals  of  life,  either  for 
our  food  or  any  other  purpose  ;  but  we  cannot  bear  thai  they  should 
take  any  thing  from  us.  But  have  we  more  right  to  take  away  the 
life  of  a  gnat,  than  it  has  to  take  a  drop  of  our  blood  1  Besides,  in 
complaining  of  the  voracity  of  animals,  we  do  not  consider  that  this 
arrangement  of  nature  is  not  so  disadvantageous  as  it  may  at  first  sight 
appear.  To  be  convinced  of  this,  we  have  only  to  consider  the  ani- 
mal kingdom  in  an  enlarged  point  of  view.    We  shall  then  find,  that 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


289 


many  species  of  animals,  birds,  or  insects,  apparently  hurtful,  are  on 
the  contrary  of  great  utility.  Several  years  ago,  the  inhabitants  of 
the  then  English  colonies  of  America  endeavoured  to  extirpate  (he 
tribe  of  jays,  because  they  imagined  that  these  birds  did  great  injury 
to  the  corn.  But  the  number  of  jays  was  scarcely  diminished,  when 
immense  numbers  of  worms,  caterpillars,  &c.  ravaged  their  corn- 
fields. They  immediately  stopped  the  persecution  of  the  jays  ;  whose 
numbers  again  increasing,  soon  put  an  end  to  the  plague,  the  conse- 
quence of  their  destruction. 

Some  time  ago  a  project  was  formed  in  Sweden  to  destroy  all  the 
crows ;  but  it  was  observed,  that  these  birds  were  not  only  fond  of 
seeds  and  plants,  but  they  devoured  a  great  number  of  worms  and 
caterpillars,  which  live  upon  the  leaves  and  roots  of  vegetables. 

In  North  America  great  exertions  were  used  to  drive  away  thö 
sparrow  tribe  ;  and  in  consequence  of  their  success,  the  flies  and  gnats 
multiphed  to  such  a  degree  in  the  marshy  countries,  that  large  tracts 
of  land  were  left  uncultivated. 

Pheasant-hunting  is  so  considerable  in  the  island  of  Procita,  that 
the  king  of  Naples  prohibited  the  use  of  cats  to  the  inhabitants.  In 
a  few  years  the  rats  and  mice  becoming  extremely  numerous,  caused 
so  much  mischief,  that  his  Neapolitan  majesty  was  obhged  to  revoke 
his  decree  for  the  annihilation  of  cats. 

Why  should  we  be  so  selfish  as  to  wish  to  deprive  animals  of  the 
provisions  necessary  for  their  subsistence  ?  Are  we  able  ourselves  to 
consume  all  the  fruits  of  the  earth  ?  And  do  we  find  any  deficiency 
in  our  sustenance  or  our  pleasures,  because  birds,  insects,  and  a  few 
animals,  partake  with  us  of  the  blessings  which  God  has  so  bounti- 
fully bestowed,  and  of  which  a  part  must  spoil  if  these  creatures  did 
not  make  use  of  it?  Instead  then  of  indulging  in  unjust  complaints, 
let  us  rather  acknowledge  the  wisdom  of  our  Creator.  Every  thing 
is  connected  in  the  vast  kingdom  of  nature  ;  no  creature  is  useless,  or 
placed  there  without  an  end,  though  w^e  are  ignorant  of  the  destina- 
tion of  many  animals.  It  is  sufficient  that  they  exist,  for  us  to  suppose 
that  they  are  created  for  the  wisest  purposes. 

Thus  the  consideration  of  the  apparent  disorders  and  imperfections 
of  nature  leads  us  to  God,  who  has  created  nothing  in  vain,  who  pre- 
serves nothing  without  reason,  and  who,  when  he  permits  any  thing 
to  be  destroyed,  does  not  do  it  without  some  useful  design.  If  wo 
were  sufiftciently  convinced  of  these  truths,  all  the  works  of  God  would 
excite  us  to  glorify  and  to  bless  his  divine  power  and  goodness. 


AUGUST  XI. 

VARIETY  OF  COLOURS. 

When  we  consider  how  dull  and  gloomy  our  fields  and  gardens 
would  be,  and  how  indistinct  every  object  would  appear,  w^re  there 


290 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


only  one  colour,  we  must  acknowledge  the  wise  goodness  of  God, 
who  by  causing  such  a  diversity  of  hues,  has  increased  and  varied 
our  pleasures.  Objects  which  are  designed  to  be  seen  at  a  distance 
are  painted  in  glowing  colours,  and  are  striking  by  their  grandeur  ; 
such  are  the  heavens  :  whilst  those  objects  which  we  can  contem- 
plate nearer,  as  birds,  flowers,  &c.  have  a  peculiar  lightness,  fineness, 
delicacy,  and  elegance. 

But  whence  proceeds  the  difference  of  colours  ?  Each  ray  of  hght 
appears  to  be  simple,  but  by  refraction  it  is  divided  into  several,  and 
hence  arises  the  diversity  of  colours.  A  glass  filled  with  water  and 
exposed  to  the  sun,  reflects  certain  colours  upon  white  paper ;  and 
angular  glasses,  or  prisms,  reflect  still  more  vivid  colours.  By  hold- 
ing a  prism  towards  the  sun,  we  may  see  the  colours  of  the  most 
beautiful  rainbow  ;  or  it  may  be  done  by  receiving  a  ray  of  hght  on 
the  prism,  through  a  small  hole  in  the  window-shutter  of  a  room 
closely  shut.  As  the  refraction  of  the  ray  is  more  or  less  strong,  the 
colours  will  be  more  or  less  vivid.  The  most  refrangible  ray  is  the 
violet,  and  consequently  it  is  the  weakest.  Next  to  it  is  the  indigo  ; 
then  the  blue,  next  the  green,  then  the  yellow,  next  orange,  and  lastly 
the  red,  which  is  the  least  refrangible  of  all. 

The  nature  of  coloured  bodies  contributes  much  to  the  diversity  of 
their  colours.  The  smallest  particles  of  most  bodies  are  transparent ; 
hence  they  break,  absorb,  or  reflect,  the  rays  of  hght,  sometimes  one 
way  and  sometimes  another,  like  prisms.  And  what  completely 
prov^es  that  colours  are  not  inherent  in  bodies  is,  that  the  neck  and 
plumage  of  a  pigeon  or  peacock  ;  and  stuffs,  such  as  taffetas,  and 
other  silk  stuffs,  &c. ;  change  colour  according  to  the  position  in  which 
they  are  placed.  This  may  enable  us  to  understand  whence  the 
variety  of  colours  proceeds ;  which  is  nothing  more  than  that  the 
surface  of  bodies  is  composed  of  extremely  thin  laminae,  which,  accord- 
ing to  their  thickness,  reflect  certain  coloured  rays,  whilst  they  admit 
or  absorb  others  in  their  pores.  Thus,  when  a  body  whose  surface  is 
smooth  reflects  and  throws  back  almost  all  the  rays  of  light,  it  appears 
white  ;  but  when  it  absorbs  them  all,  it  is  black. 

Let  us  here  admire  the  goodness  and  wisdom  of  God  ;  for,  if  the 
rays  were  not  divisible  and  differently  coloured,  all  would  be  uniform, 
and  we  could  only  distinguish  objects  by  reasoning,  and  by  the  cir- 
cumstances of  time  and  place.  We  should  be  reduced  to  the  most 
awkward  perplexity  and  uncertainty  ;  our  eyes  would  be  fatigued 
with  constantly  seeing  one  colour,  and  we  should  be  weary  of  the 
continued  uniformity.  But  the  diversity  of  colours  existing  in  nature 
diffuses  beauty  over  the  earth,  and  procures  new  and  repeated  variety 
of  pleasure.  In  this  we  have  abundant  proof  of  the  provident  cares 
of  God  ;  who  has  provided  for  our  pleasures  as  well  as  our  necessities, 
and  in  creating  the  world  has  regarded  the  beauty  as  much  as  the 
perfection  and  utility  of  his  works.  Far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  we 
discover  new  and  varied  beauties  in  the  plains,  in  the  valleys,  and  the 
mountains  ;  every  thing  conduces  to  our  pleasure,  and  calls  forth  our 
gratitude. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


291 


AUGUST  XII. 

HABITATIONS  OF  BEAVERS. 

If  a  man  who  had  never  heard  of  the  industry  of  beavers,  and  their 
manner  of  building  their  dweUings,  were  shown  the  edifices  which 
they  construct,  he  would  suppose  them  to  be  the  work  of  some  most 
skilful  architects.  Every  thing  is  wonderful  in  the  labours  of  these 
amphibious  animals  ;  the  regular  plan,  the  size,  the  solidity,  and  the 
admirable  art  of  their  buildings,  must  fill  every  attentive  observer  with 
astonishment.  The  beavers  choose  their  place  of  abode  where  there 
is  a  plentiful  supply  of  provisions,  and  a  river  in  which  they  may  form 
a  lake  to  bathe  in.  They  begin  by  constructing  a  dike  or  bank,  which 
keeps  the  water  level  with  the  first  floor  of  their  building  :  this  bank 
is  sometimes  a  prodigious  work,  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  thick  at  the 
foundation ;  it  is  made  sloping,  and  gradually  diminishes  in  thick- 
ness, till,  towards  the  top,  it  is  not  more  than  two  feet  broad.  The 
materials  of  which  it  is  composed  are  wood  and  clay.  The  beavers 
cut  pieces  of  wood  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm  with  great  facility.  They 
fix  these  in  the  earth  by  one  of  their  extremities,  very  near  to  each 
other,  and  entwine  round  them  other  pieces  that  are  smaller  and  more 
flexible.  But  as  the  water  may  still  pass  through,  and  leave  their 
watering-place  dry,  they  make  use  of  clay  to  fill  up  all  the  interstices 
both  within  and  without,  so  well,  that  the  water  cannot  possibly  flow 
through ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  water  rises,  they  raise  their  bank. 

Having  finished  their  dyke,  they  begin  to  work  at.  their  houses ; 
which  are  round  or  oval  buildings  divided  into  three  stories,  raised  one 
above  the  other,  one  of  which  is  below  the  dike  and  generally  filled 
with  water,  the  other  two  are  above.  They  fix  these  buildings  very 
firmly  upon  the  brink  of  their  lake,  and  always  with  stories,  that  if 
the  water  should  rise,  they  may  still  be  able  to  lodge  above  it.  If 
they  find  a  little  island  near  the  wateiing-place,  they  build  their  house 
upon  it,  as  being  more  firm,  and  they  are  also  less  incommoded  by  the 
water,  in  which  they  cannot  remain  long  at  a  time.  If  this  conve- 
nience is  not  to  be  obtained,  with  the  assistance  of  their  teeth  they 
force  stakes  into  the  earth  to  support  their  building  against  the  force 
of  wind  and  water.  They  make  two  openings  at  the  bottom  to  go 
out  into  the  water  ;  one  leads  to  the  place  where  they  bathe,  the  other 
to  the  place  where  they  deposite  whatever  might  dirty  their  upper 
apartments.  They  have  a  third  door,  placed  higher  up,  for  fear  of 
being  taken  when  the  ice  closes  up  the  lower  doors.  Sometimes  they 
build  their  houses  entirely  upon  dry  ground,  and  dig  ditches  from  five 
to  six  feet  deep,  down  to  the  water.  They  use  the  same  materials 
and  the  same  industry  for  their  buildings  as  for  their  banks.  The 
walls  are  perpendicular,  and  about  two  feet  thick.  With  their  teeth 
they  cut  off  the  ends  of  the  wood  and  sticks  that  project  from  the  wall ; 
and  then  mixing  clay  with  dry  grass,  they  make  a  composition,  with 
which  they  plaster,  by  means  of  their  tail,  the  inside  and  the  outside 


292 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


of  their  building.  The  inside  of  their  house  is  arched,  and  its  size  is 
proportioned  to  the  number  of  inhabitants.  A  space  twelve  feet  long 
by  eight  or  ten  broad  is  sufficient  for  eiglit  or  ten  beavers.  If  the 
number  is  greater,  they  enlarge  their  building  in  proportion. 

The  instruments  which  the  beavers  use  are  four  strong  and  sharp 
teeth  ;  the  two  fore-feet,  of  which  the  toes  are  separated  ;  the  two 
hind-feet,  wliich  are  furnished  with  membranes  ;  and  their  tail, 
which  is  covered  with  scales,  and  is  like  an  oblong  trowel.  With 
only  these  simple  tools,  they  excel  our  masons  and  carpenters  w^ith 
all  their  apparatus  of  trowels,  squares,  axes,  saws,  &c.  With  their 
teeth  they  cut  the  wood  which  they  use  in  their  buildings ;  their 
fore-feet  serve  them  to  dig  the  ground,  and  to  prepare  the  clay.  They 
use  their  tail  both  to  carry  the  mortar  or  clay  and  to  plaster  their 
houses. 

The  works  of  beavers  then  have  the  greatest  resemblance  to  those 
of  men  ;  and  upon  their  first  appearance  we  may  imagine  them  to 
be  produced  by  rational  and  thinking  beings.  But  when  we  examine 
them  nearer,  w^e  shall  find  that  in  all  their  proceedings  these  animals 
do  not  act  upon  the  principles  of  reason,  but  by  an  instinct  which  is 
implanted  in  them  by  nature.  If  reason  directed  their  labours,  we 
should  naturally  conclude  that  the  buildings  which  they  now  con- 
struct Avould  be  very  different  from  those  they  formerly  made,  and 
that  they  would  gradually  advance  towards  perfection.  But  we  find 
that  they  never  vary  in  the  least  from  the  rules  of  their  forefathers, 
never  deviate  from  the  circle  prescribed  to  them  by  nature  ;  and  the 
beavers  of  the  present  time  build  exactly  after  the  same  plan  as  those 
which  lived  before  the  deluge.  But  they  are  not  the  less  worthy  of 
our  admiration.  In  these  sagacious  creatures  w^e  have  an  example  of 
the  great  diversity  there  is  in  the  instinct  of  animals.  How  superior 
is  the  instinct  of  the  beaver  to  that  of  the  sheep  !  May  we  profit  by 
our  discoveries  of  the  different  faculties  of  animals,  so  as  more  and 
more  to  advance  in  perfection,  and  increase  our  knowledge  of  the  love 
and  infinite  power  of  God ! 


AUGUST  XIII. 

MANNER  IN  WHICH  THE  NUTRITION  OP  THE  HUMAN  BODY  IS 

EFFECTED. 

Alimentary  matter,  when  taken  into  the  stomach,  is  separated  into 
two  parts  :  the  one  nutritious,  which  remains  in  the  body  ;  the  other 
not  nutritive,  is  expelled  from  it.  It  is  first  requisite  that  the  food 
should  be  broken,  and  its  parts  decomposed.  This  is  begun  in  the 
mouth  by  the  process  of  mastication.  The  fore-teeth,  or  incisors,  cut 
and  divide  the  pieces  ;  the  canine,  or  side-teeth,  tear  them ;  and  the 
double-teeth  grind  them  small.  The  tongue  and  lips  also  contribute 
to  this,  by  keeping  the  food  under  the  teeth  as  long  as  is  jiecessary. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Certain  glands,  pressed  upon  during  the  process  of  mastication,  pour 
out  saliva  to  moisten  the  food,  and  render  it  more  easily  divisible,  as 
well  as  facilitate  its  digestion.  Hence  the  great  advantage  of  well 
chewing  the  food  before  it  is  swallowed. 

The  aliments  thus  comminuted,  moistened,  and  mixed,  are  received 
into  the  pharynx  or  beginning  of  the  throat ;  in  which  canal  there  are 
glands  that  continually  secrete  a  fluid  that  lubricates  the  throat,  and 
renders  the  passage  of  the  food  more  easy.  When  this  is  too  dry, 
the  sensation  of  thirst  excites  us  to  drink.  The  food  follows  the 
course  of  the  throat  till  it  is  received  into  the  stomach  ;  a  membra- 
nous bag,  in  which  is  secreted  a  fluid  called  the  gastric  juice,  by  the 
action  of  which  upon  the  food  digestion  is  performed.  When  we 
have  too  long  abstained  from  eating,  the  gastric  juice,  stimulating  the 
nervous  coat  of  the  stomach,  occasions  the  sensation  of  hunger.  The 
stomach  is  continually  in  motion  by  the  contraction  of  its  fibres  from 
above  downwards,  so  that  its  cavity  is  straightened  ;  the  lower  ter- 
mination rises  towards  the  middle,  and  the  whole  is  equally  contracted. 
The  aliment,  prevented  from  returning  into  the  throat  by  means  of  a 
valve  covering  the  upper  orifice  of  the  stomach,  readily  passes  through 
the  inferior  opening  or  pylorus  into  the  intestinal  canal,  which  is  pro- 
perly a  continuation  of  the  stomach.  This  canal  is  subject  to  a  con- 
stant motion,  called  the  peristaltic  motion,  by  means  of  which  the 
whole  aUmentary  mass  is  completely  agitated. 

By  the  preceding  operations,  the  aliment  is  reduced  to  a  pulpy 
mass,  which  passes  slowly  through  the  intestines  by  means  of  their 
vermicular  motion  ;  and  is  there  mixed  with  the  bile,  which  is  secre- 
ted by  the  liver,  and  stimulates  the  intestines  to  act.  In  each  intes- 
tine are  discovered  the  orifices  of  very  fine  vessels,  called  lacteals. 
The  whitest  and  purest  part  of  the  alimentary  mass  passes  through 
these,  and  is  conveyed  by  them  into  a  larger  vessel,  which  passes 
from  the  abdomen  through  the  chest,  and  terminates  in  the  veins. 
The  white  colour  of  the  chyle  is  then  lost  among  the  blood,  and  it  is 
no  longer  distinguished  from  that  fluid  ;  and  thus  prepared  and  per- 
fected, it  is  conveyed  by  numerous  canals  to  every  part  of  the  body, 
to  which  it  imparts  life  and  nourishment.  The  gross  and  innutritious 
part  which  remains  in  the  large  intestines,  passes  from  the  colon  into 
the  rectum,  whence  in  due  time  it  is  expelled  from  the  body. 

From  this  short  account  we  learn  what  a  variety  of  operations  are 
requisite  to  accomplish  one  of  the  daily  necessities  of  our  body.  How 
many  parts  and  organs  concur  in  providing  for  the  growth  and  nou- 
rishment of  the  whole  !  And  what  is  most  admirable  is,  that  all  the 
parts  of  our  bodies  which  are  thus  exercised  for  its  nutrition,  serve 
also  for  other  purposes.  The  tongue,  for  instance,  which  contributes 
so  materially  to  mastication,  is  also  the  organ  of  speech  and  of  taste. 
In  fact,  there  is  not  one  member  of  our  bodies  which  has  only  one 
office.  Let  us  reflect  upon  these  peculiar  mercies  of  God ;  and  whe- 
ther we  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  we  do,  let  it  be  to  his  glory. 


«5* 


294 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


AUGUST  XIV. 

NATURE  CONSIDERED  IN  DIFFERENT  POINTS  OF  VIEW. 

The  works  of  nature,  ever  superior  to  those  of  art,  are  particularly 
so  from  their  admirable  variety,  which  always  affords  new  subjects  of 
wonder  and  pleasure.  We  look  at  a  work  of  art  till  we  become 
weary  with  seeing  it,  or  regard  it  with  indifTerence.  But  the  mind 
is  never  fatigued  with  contemplating  and  reflecting  upon  the  works 
of  nature,  which  continually  present  new  charms  to  the  delighted 
imagination. 

When  we  consider  nature  in  her  most  sublime  and  majestic  point 
of  view,  how  astonished  we  are  at  the  immensity  of  the  heavens,  the 
innumerable  multitude  of  the  stars,  and  the  vast  extent  of  the  ocean  ! 
Compared  with  these,  all  the  works  of  art,  however  great  and  ex- 
cellent, are  insignificant  and  contemptible.  Every  thing  that  God 
has  created  is  stamped  with  a  grandeur  far  surpassing  our  conception. 
To  give  us  an  idea  of  his  infinity,  he  had  only  to  form  the  sky,  which 
displays  more  magnificence  and  grandeur  than  all  that  the  earth 
contains.  Is  any  thing  more  likely  to  inspire  us  with  a  profound 
veneration  for  God,  than  to  contemplate  him  in  his  works  1  If  we  are 
rightly  concerned,  what  a  religious  awe  fills  oar  minds  when  we  be- 
hold those  grand  phenomena  of  nature  which  no  man  can  produce  ; 
such  as  earthquakes,  volcanoes,  storms,  tempests,  and  floods ;  all  of 
which  forcibly  impress  the  mind  with  the  majesty  of  the  Creator  of 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  ! 

Nature  also  is  presented  under  a  more  pleasing  aspect ;  we  see 
valleys  adorned  with  verdure  and  flowers,  fields  which  promise  abun- 
dant crops,  and  mountains  green  with  trees  and  beautiful  plants.  In 
all  these" lovely  scenes  the  God  of  nature  shows  himself  the  friend 
and  benefactor  of  man  ;  he  extends  his  bountiful  arm,  and  plenti- 
fully satisfies  every  living  creature.  And  this  present  season,  in  which 
every  thing  combines  to  delight  our  senses  and  conduce  to  our  nou- 
rishment, furnishes  the  strongest  proofs  of  his  goodness. 

But  the  time  approaches  when  nature  will  assume  a  more  gloomy 
appearance  ;  when  she  will  lose  her  beauty  and  variety,  and  resem- 
ble a  desert  void  of  all  pleasure  and  riches.  Every  day  brings  us 
nearer  this  mournful  season  ;  and  the  lengthening  evenings  begin  to 
warn  us  of  the  change.  Even  then  nature  has  still  attractions,  and 
winter  concurs  in  the  perfection  of  the  creation. 

Let  us  apply  these  reflections  to  our  lives,  which  are  equally  liable 
to  change  and  sudden  variations.  To  the  most  happy  and  delightful 
scenes  often  succeed  the  most  trying  and  unfortunate.  Let  us  then 
in  prosperity  prepare  for  adversity,  and  in  every  situation  of  Ufe  glo- 
rify and  bless  the  Father  and  Giver  of  all  good. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


295 


AUGUST  XV. 

DAMAGES  WHICH  MAY  EE  OCCASIONED  BY  RAIN. 

A  moderate  quantity  of  rain  always  contributes  to  the  growth  and 
fertility  of  plants,  and  consequently  is  of  great  benefit  to  the  earth. 
But  when  it  falls  with  too  great  vehemence,  or  continues  too  long,  it 
becomes  hurtful  to  vegetables.  When  too  violent,  it  forces  the  deh- 
cate  plants  into  the  ground  ;  and  its  too  long  continuance  prevents 
their  growth.  A  superabundant  moisture  deprives  them  of  the  neces- 
sary degree  of  heat ;  the  circulation  of  the  sap  is  interrupted  ;  the 
secretions  are  imperfectly  performed,  and  the  plants  droop  and  are  in 
danger  of  perishing. 

But  this  is  not  the  only  way  in  which  rain  is  prejudicial.  It  some- 
times causes  great  destruction.  When  several  clouds,  driven  by  fierce 
winds,  meet  in  their  course  high  towers,  mountains,  and  other  elevated 
places,  they  break,  and  suddenly  pour  down  the  w^ater  they  contain 
in  torrents.  This  often  occasions  much  damage  ;  for  water  not  being 
compressible,  when  it  is  much  pressed  it  suddenly  precipitates  itself 
from  mountains  and  other  high  places.  It  is  not  surprising  then  that 
it  carries  along  with  it  the  heaviest  stones,  beats  down  trees,  and 
overthrows  buildings.  Two  causes  concur  in  rendering  these  effects 
more  violent :  the  great  volume  of  water  precipitated,  and  its  rapidity, 
increased  by  the  height  from  which  it  falls  ;  the  action  of  a  moving 
body  being  in  proportion  to  the  mass  of  matter  it  contains,  and  the 
degree  of  velocity  impressed  upon  it. 

Water-spouts  are  still  more  formidable.  In  figure  they  resemble 
an  inverted  cone,  whose  base  terminates  in  some  cloud,  whilst  the 
point  is  directed  towards  the  earth.  These  water-spouts  attract  and 
draw  up  every  thing  in  their  way,  and  afterwards  dash  them  down 
in  the  torrent.  If  the  point  of  this  conical  stream  strikes  the  sea,  the 
water  boils,  foams,  and  rises  into  the  air  with  a  terrible  noise  ;  and  if 
it  falls  upon  vessels  or  buildings,  it  shatters  and  throws  down  the  one, 
and  so  violently  shakes  the  other  that  they  often  founder.  According 
to  all  appearance,  this  meteor  is  produced  by  the  action  of  winds 
blowing  in  contrary  directions,  and  which  in  their  passage  meeting 
with  clouds,  drive  them  with  violence  against  each  other.  When 
these  opposite  winds  strike  a  cloud  on  one  side,  they  give  them  a  cir- 
cular motion,  and  make  them  whirl  round  with  considerable  velocity. 
They  then  take  the  form  of  a  whirlwind,  and  their  weight  being 
suddenly  increased  by  the  force  of  pressure,  they  rush  down  with 
impetuosity,  and  in  their  fall  assume  the  figure  of  a  column,  at  one 
time  conical,  at  another  cylindrical,  which  turns  round  its  centre  with 
great  velocity ;  and  their  violence  is  in  proportion  to  the  quantity  of 
water,  and  to  the  rapidity  of  the  descent. 

Cataracts  and  water-spouts  are  always  dangerous.  Fortunately 
the  latter  very  seldom  occur  on  land,  though  they  are  frequent  at  sea. 
Mountainous  countries  are  more  exposed  to  cataracts  than  are  those 


296 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


situations  which  are  more  flat  and  level ;  and  they  so  rarely  happen, 
that  many  years  often  pass  before  even  a  few  acres  of  ground  are 
destroyed  by  them.  Such  are  some  of  the  disastrous  effects  produced 
by  these  phenomena  :  but  the  good  man,  far  from  murmuring  and 
complaining  when  he  hears  the  storm  howling  around  him,  or  wit- 
nesses the  dreadful  devastation  of  the  cataract,  bows  his  head  in 
humility,  and  acknowledges  with  grateful  reverence  the  blessings  he 
is  daily  permitted  to  enjoy  ;  whilst  these  interruptions  of  the  general 
harmony  of  nature  are  only  partial  evils,  and  very  seldom  happen. 
Let  us  then  consider  the  works  of  God  with  humility  and  adoration, 
and  endeavour  to  form  just  ideas  of  their  magnitude  and  excellence. 
For,  doubtless,  infinite  order,  goodness,  and  wisdom  always  prevail, 
even  where  the  limited  faculties  of  man  can  discover  no  traces  of  their 
presence. 


AUGUST  XVL 

CARES  OF  ANIMALS  FOR  THEIR  YOUNG. 

That  instinct  which  leads  brutes  to  preserve  their  young  is  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  faculties  with  which  nature  has  endued  animals. 
We  find  scarcely  any  creature  which  abandons  its  eggs  or  its  young 
to  blind  chance.  Their  love  extends  to  their  posterity  in  a  very  great 
degree,  and  operates  in  that  way  which  is  best  adapted  to  their  nature 
and  diflferent  modes  of  living.  Some  of  these  little  creatures,  which 
are  hatched  from  the  eggs  offish  and  insects,  have  no  need  of  being 
covered  by  their  parent,  because  the  heat  of  summer  is  sufficient  to 
vivify  and  strengthen  them  ;  and  from  the  first  moment  of  their  birth 
they  are  able  to  assist  themselves,  provided  they  are  in  a  suitable  place, 
and  have  provisions  within  their  reach.  The  greater  part  of  insects 
do  not  live  long  enough  to  see  their  young.  Fish  and  amphibious 
animals  cannot  distinguish  their  young  ones  from  those  of  the  same 
species  ;  and  yet  nature  teaches  them  the  best  means  of  providing  for 
the  principal  wants  of  new  generations.  Fish  swim  in  shoals,  and 
deposite  their  spawn  near  the  coasts,  where  the  water  being  shallow 
is  more  easily  warmed  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  where  in  conse- 
quence the  young  fry  are  more  easily  hatched,  and  obtain  the  requisite 
food. 

Amphibious  animals  quit  the  water  and  deposite  their  eggs  in  the 
sand,  that  they  may  be  hatched  by  the  sun's  rays ;  as  if  they  were 
aware  that  their  young  would  readily  find  their  true  element,  and  the 
place  in  which  they  are  destined  to  live  and  seek  their  food.  Gnats, 
and  other  insects,  which  come  to  hfe  in  water,  but  which  afterward 
live  in  the  air  or  upon  the  earth,  always  lay  their  eggs  where  the  life 
of  their  young  is  to  begin.  Insects  which  fly  above  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  and  which  generally  require  no  food  for  themselves,  are, 
however,  caieful  to  deposite  their  eggs  upon  plants,  fruits,  flesh,  and 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


297 


other  substances  which  will  serve  as  nourishment  for  their  young. 
Some  of  them  pursue  animals,  and  insinuate  their  eggs  in  their  skin, 
hair,  mouth,  and  entrails.  Some  animals  deposite  their  eggs  in  nests 
and  cells  which  they  have  prepared  and  stored  with  provision  proper 
for  their  young.  Other  animals,  which  at  the  time  of  birth  cannot 
help  themselves,  are  taken  care  of  by  their  parents. 

How  great  is  the  solicitude  of  birds,  even  before  they  lay  their  eggs  ! 
Each  species  has  its  peculiar  mode  of  constructing  its  nest.  How 
assiduously  and  patiently  they  sit  upon  their  eggs  for  some  weeks, 
scarcely  allowing  themselves  time  to  eat  their  food  !  With  what  care 
they  keep  their  young  warm  after  they  are  hatched,  and  supply  them 
with  the  necessary  food  !  What  courage  they  display  in  defending 
them  from  harm,  often  exposing  themselves  to  danger  whilst  protect- 
ing their  helpless  httle  ones  !  Is  it  not  also  a  very  remarkable  instinct 
in  animals  that  induces  them  to  cut  the  umbilical  cord  of  their  young 
with  their  teeth,  and  with  such  precaution  as  to  prevent  any  loss  of 
blood  1  How  teriderly  do  they  suckle  them,  and  how  carefully  do  they 
guard  them  from  danger. 

In  general  the  instinct  of  all  animals  for  the  preservation  of  their 
young,  is  stronger  than  the  desire  of  satisfying  their  own  wants.  They 
suffer  hunger  and  thirst,  refuse  sleep  and  all  indulgence,  and  even 
expose  their  own  lives,  rather  than  neglect  their  offspring.  In  this 
instinct  which  nature  has  given  to  animals  we  may  observe  a  most 
admirable  wisdom  ;  for  the  preservation  of  every  species  depends  upon 
the  cares  of  the  parents.  That  viviparous  animals  should  have  so  much 
tenderness  for  their  young  is  not  so  very  remarkable,  because  they 
are  their  own  flesh  and  blood  ;  but  that  oviparous  animals  should  have 
an  equal  solicitude  for  their  eggs  is  truly  wonderful. 

Adorable  Father  of  nature !  Who  does  not  here  perceive  and  admire 
thy  wisdom?  Who  does  not  acknowledge  thy  goodness  in  watching 
over  the  preservation  of  the  animal  world  ;  making  it  subservient  to 
our  wants  and  to  our  pleasures  ?  May  the  eyes  of  all  be  opened,  so 
as  they  may  behold  more  clearly  the  wisdom  which  shines  so  beauti- 
fully in  all  the  works  of  the  creation  ! 


AUGUST  XVII. 

SENSIBILITY  OF  PLANTS. 

Certain  motions  may  be  observed  in  plants,  which  makes  it  probable 
that  they  are  possessed  of  sensibility.  Some  plants  shrink  and  con- 
tract their  leaves  upon  being  touched  ;  others  open  and  shut  their 
flowers  at  certain  fixed  hours,  so  regularly  as  to  denote  with  precision 
the  time  of  day  ;  some  assume  a  peculiar  form  during  the  night,  fold- 
ing up  their  leaves  :  and  these  different  changes  take  place  whether 
they  are  in  the  open  air  or  shut  up  in  close  apartments.  Those  which 
live  under  \^ater,  during  the  time  of  fecundation,  raise  their  flowers 

2N 


298 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


above  the  surface.  The  motions  of  a  marshy  plant  discovered  some 
time  since  in  the  province  of  Carohna  are  still  more  singular.  Its 
round  leaves  are  furnished  above  and  on  the  sides  with  a  multitude 
of  notches  that  are  extremely  irritable.  When  an  insect  happens  to 
creep  upon  the  superior  surface  of  the  leaves,  they  fold  up  and  enclose 
the  insect  till  it  dies  ;  the  leaves  then  open  of  themselves.  We  may 
daily  observe  regular  motions  in  some  plants  in  our  gardens.  Tulips 
expand  their  petals  when  the  weather  is  fine,  and  close  them  again 
at  sunset,  or  during  rain.  Vegetables  with  pods,  such  as  peas  and 
beans,  open  their  shells  when  dry,  and  curl  themselves  up  like  shav- 
ings of  wood.  Wild  oats,  when  placed  upon  a  table,  will  move 
spontaneously,  more  especially  if  warmed  in  the  hand.  And  the 
heliotrope,  or  sunflower,  with  various  other  plants,  always  turns 
towards  the  sun. 

These  are  incontestable  facts,  of  the  certainty  of  which  every  per- 
son may  be  readily  satisfied.  From  them,  some  have  concluded  that 
we  ought  not  to  deny  sensibility  to  be  an  attribute  of  plants ;  and 
certainly  the  facts  which  are  alleged  in  favour  of  such  an  opinion 
give  it  great  appearance  of  probability.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
plants  have  no  other  sign  of  sensibility  ;  and  all  that  they  have  is 
entirely  mechanical. 

We  plant  a  shrub,  and  destroy  it,  without  finding  any  analogy  be- 
tween it  and  an  animal.  We  see  a  plant  bud,  blossom,  and  bear 
seed,  insensibly,  as  the  hand  of  a  watch  runs  round  the  points  of  the 
dial.  The  most  exact  anatomy  of  a  plant  does  not  unfold  to  us  any 
organ  which  has  the  least  relation  to  those  of  animal  sensibility. 
When  we  oppose  these  observations  to  those  from  which  we  might 
infer  the  sensibility  of  plants,  we  remain  in  uncertainty,  and  cannot 
explain  the  phenomena  related  above.  Our  knowledge  upon  this 
subject  is  very  imperfect,  and  is  confined  to  simple  conjecture.  We 
can  neither  attribute  sensibility  to  plants,  nor  deny  it  to  them,  with 
certainty. 

Let  us  then  rest  satisfied  with  ascribing  unto  our  Creator  the  glory 
that  is  his  due  ;  and  be  convinced,  that  whether  plants  have  sensi- 
bility or  not,  whatever  be  the  principle  of  the  phenomena  of  which 
we  have  been  treating,  the  aiTangements  of  nature  with  respect  to 
these  and  all  other  things  are  dictated  by  wisdom  and  infinite  good- 
ness. We  have  great  cause  to  be  content  with  the  little  we  have  yet 
discovered  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  though  we  were  to  learn  no 
more  ;  and  though  the  particular  point  in  question  still  remains  ob- 
scure and  doubtful,  what  we  already  know  is  sufficient  to  gratify  our 
curiosity  and  inspire  us  with  the  love  of  God.  Let  us  only  endeavour 
with  earnestness  to  apply  the  knowledge  we  alread}^  possess  to  useful 
purposes,  without  perplexing  and  entangling  ourselves  in  the  mazes 
of  speculation,  always  more  curious  than  beneficial ;  and  without 
being  anxious  to  obtain  that  information  which  our  limited  faculties 
do  not  permit  us  to  acquire,  and  which  it  is  perhaps  reserved  for  future 
ages  more  enlightened  to  discover. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


299 


AUGUST  XVIII. 

FEAR  OF  STORMS. 

At  the  season  in  which  nature  presents  to  our  view  the  most  de- 
lightful scenery,  and  every  thing  abroad  conspires  to  procure  us  joy 
and  fehcity,  there  are  some  people  who  still  murmur  and  complain. 
They  say  the  summer  would  be  very  pleasant  if  storms  did  not  so 
often  disturb  the  harmony  of  nature,  and  stifle  every  sentiment  of  joy 
in  the  heart.  This  fear  of  storms  and  thunder  is  principally  founded 
upon  the  opinion  that  they  are  the  effects  of  the  wrath  of  Heaven, 
and  the  ministers  of  an  offended  God.  For  if  such  people  considered 
how  much  storms  contribute  to  purify  the  air  from  various  noxious 
exhalations,  and  that  they  increase  the  fertility  of  the  earth  ;  if  they 
did  but  employ  the  necessary  precautions  to  shelter  themselves  from 
the  dreadful  effects  of  thunder ;  storms  would  lose  their  terrors,  and 
would  be  regarded  as  benefits,  more  calculated  to  inspire  gratitude 
than  terror. 

It  may  however  be  objected,  that  thunder  and  lightning  often  occa- 
sion great  devastation  ;  that  they  have  often  struck  men  and  animals, 
and  destroyed  towns  and  villages.  To  this  we  may  reply,  that  in 
this,  as  in  many  other  things,  fear  often  increases  the  danger,  and 
magnifies  the  evil.  To  be  convinced  how  rarely  it  happens  that  peo- 
ple are  killed  by  hghtning,  we  have  only  to  be  informed  that  out  of 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  persons  who  died  in  London  during 
the  space  of  thirty  years,  only  two  were  destroyed  by  lightning.  We 
may  also  observe  that  during  a  thunder-storm  the  generality  of  people 
prolong  their  fears  without  any  real  necessity.  He  who  has  time  to 
fear,  and  be  alarmed  at  the  effects  of  the  lightning,  is  already  out  of 
danger ;  for  as  that  is  the  only  thing  which  can  be  fatal  to  us,  the 
moment  we  have  seen  it,  and  remain  unhurt,  we  are  safe  ;  as  the  roar 
of  the  thunder  which  soon  follows,  whether  rolling  at  a  distance,  the 
peals  break  upon  our  ear,  or  bursting  with  a  sound  that  seems  to  rend 
asunder  the  concave  of  heaven,  immediately  above  our  heads,  is 
harmless  as  the  echo  that  dies  on  the  breeze. 

If  by  reflecting  upon  the  cause  of  these  phenomena  our  fear  does 
not  subside,  the  surest  means  of  preserving  our  firmness  and  strength 
of  mind  is  by  endeavouring  to  acquire  a  good  conscience.  The  soul 
that  is  just  and  pure  firmly  relies  upon  the  merciful  goodness  of  his 
God,  and  calmly  reposes  amid  the  convulsions  of  nature.  '  He  hears, 
without  dread,  the  thunder  roll.  His  Creator,  the  God  whom  he 
loves  and  adores,  directs  it ;  and  knows  when  to  terrify,  and  when  to 
strike :  with  storms  and  tempests  He  sometimes  visits  the  hardeued 
soul  of  the  impious  wretch  that  dares  to  deny  his  power,  and  dis- 
honour his  attributes.' 


300 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


AUGUST  XIX. 

SUMMER  PRESENTS  US  WITH  IMAGES  OF  DEATH. 

A  few  weeks  ago,  when  we  walked  in  our  gardens,  we  were  sur- 
rounded with  the  most  beautiful  and  pleasing  objects,  and  every  thing 
raised  emotions  of  joy  in  our  hearts.  But  now,  every  day  diminisheg 
the  number  of  pleasing  objects,  or  renders  their  appearance  more  uni- 
form. The  greatest  part  of  the  flowers  which  then  beautified  our 
gardens  have  disappeared,  and  we  begin  to  have  only  faint  traces  of 
the  once  charming  scenes  which  so  ravished  our  senses.  These  re- 
volutions in  nature  may  be  very  instructive  to  us.  There  is  a  period 
in  our  lives  in  which  all  the  charms  of  spring  make  gay  and  happy 
our  moments,  that  swiftly  glide  away,  whilst  we  are  beloved  and  ca- 
ressed by  parents,  fondly  solicitous  for  our  welfare,  and  anxiously  ex- 
pecting from  our  future  conduct  the  rich  fruit  of  all  their  tender  cares. 
But  how  often  is  this  hope  deceived  !  Many  a  sweet  floweret  falls 
before  the  blossoms  expand.  Sickness  withers  our  charms,  and  nips 
our  opening  beauties  ;  and  an  early  death  changes  hope  into  the 
gloom  of  despondency. 

We  see  spring  flowers  which  bloom  till  summer,  then  perish  in  a 
few  hours.  A  very  striking  emblem  of  death  !  And  scarcely  a  day 
passes  in  which  some  human  being  is  not  unexpectedly  and  without 
warning  met  by  the  unsparing  messenger.  The  days  of  man  are  as 
the  grass  ;  he  flourisheth  as  a  flower  of  the  field  :  the  wind  bloweth 
upon  him  and  he  is  gone,  and  the  place  that  knew  him  knows  him 
no  more. 

We  are  now  in  that  season  in  which  the  fervent  rays  of  the  sun 
induce  us  to  seek  repose  in  the  refreshing  shade  of  the  groves.  These 
cool  sequestered  retreats  are  favourable  for  serious  reflection  ;  and  our 
thoughts  will  there  sometimes  be  directed  to  the  awful  solemnity  of 
the  grave,  where  the  just  will  be  received  as  into  a  safe  harbour  from 
the  tossings  and  dangers  of  a  life  of  care  and  trouble. 

The  reaper  prepares  to  cut  down  his  corn ;  the  sickle  levels  the  tall 
ears  on  the  right  and  on  the  left,  and  leaves  behind  it  the  fields  empty 
and  deserted.  This  is  a  just  emblem  of  life  :  all  flesh  is  as  grass,  and 
all  the  glory,  all  the  honours  and  duration  of  life,  as  the  flowers  of  the 
field  :  like  them  man  flourishes  for  a  time  ;  and,  when  the  Lord  of 
the  harvest  ordereth,  falls  under  the  scythe. 

Let  us  imitate  the  activity  and  industry  of  the  bees  ;  and  as  they 
are  busied  in  collecting  and  preparing  their  honey  from  every  flower 
that  scents  the  air,  may  we  also  be  ever  diligent  in  amassing  those 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  virtue,  which  will  be  our  dehght  when  age 
presses  heavily  upon  us,  and  our  great  consolation  in  the  final  separa- 
tion of  the  soul  from  the  body  ! 

The  husbandman  will  soon  assemble  to  collect  the  fruits  of  the 
earth,  and  deposite  them  in  their  granaries.  The  days  of  harvest  are 
the  most  important  of  any  in  the  year :  but  how  much  more  solemn 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


301 


and  momentous  will  be  that  great  day,  when  the  Creator  of  tlie  uni- 
verse shall  himself  collect  the  harvest ;  when  the  graves  shall  open, 
and  deliver  up  their  dead  ;  when  the  Supreme  Judge  of  nations  shall 
say  unto  his  angels,  *  Gather  tlie  tares  into  bundles  to  be  burned,  but 
gather  the  wheat  into  my  garner  !'  Upon  this  day  of  awful  solemnity 
the  righteous  may  meditate  with  joy  and  reverence  :  here  they  labour 
and  travail,  and  weeping  sow  their  seed  in  the  ground  ;  but  the  joyful 
day  will  arrive,  when  they  shall  carry  their  abundant  harvest  to  the 
altar  of  God  with  songs  of  joy  and  of  gladness. 

Meditation  upon  death  is  proper  to  make  this  happy  season  still 
more  useful  and  beneficial.  When  we  consider  death  in  its  true  point 
of  view,  far  from  regarding  it  as  the  enemy  of  our  pleasures,  we  shall 
acknowledge  that  its  contemplation  ennobles  our  ideas,  and  increases 
our  real  felicity.  When  the  image  of  death  is  frequently  present  to 
our  minds,  can  we  deliver  ourselves  up  to  riot  and  excess  ?  Should 
we  make  an  improper  use  of  the  gifts  which  God  grants  us,  if  we 
continually  remembered  that  the  hour  must  come,  when  we  are  to 
give  an  account  of  our  stewardship  to  him  whom  no  one  can  deceive  ? 
Would  the  blessings  of  this  life  possess  our  affections,  if  we  considered 
how  soon  every  thing  must  perish  ?  If  we  considered  that  the  even- 
ing will  arrive  and  bring  us  ease  and  repose,  should  we  murmur  and 
repine  at  the  burdens  we  bear  through  the  heat  of  the  day,  or  the 
sufferings  to  which  we  are  subjected  1  Or,  if  we  frequently  medi- 
tated upon  that  better  world,  and  those  purer  and  more  exalted  plea- 
sures in  which  the  souls  of  the  righteous  shall  find  a  sure  resting- 
place,  should  we  imagine  that  our  chief  happiness  consisted  in  the 
enjoyment  of  this  world,  and  the  pleasures  it  can  afford  ? 


AUGUST  XX. 

CAUSES  OF  THE  HEAT  OP  THE  EARTH. 

The  sun,  without  doubt,  is  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  the  heat 
of  this  globe ;  and  the  warmth  of  a  particular  place  is  owing  to  its 
relative  position  to  the  sun.  When  he  is  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
earth,  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  parts  have  not  so  much  warmth 
as  when  he  approaches  the  north  pole.  The  same  thing  happens  in 
the  southern  parts  of  the  earth,  when  the  sun  is  towards  the  north. 
In  those  climates  where  the  sun  is  almost  vertical,  the  cold  is  never 
so  intense  as  to  freeze  the  rivers  and  lakes  ;  the  heat  being  very  con- 
siderable in  those  regions.  It  becomes  also  very  fervent  when  the  sun 
continues  long  above  the  horizon,  and  his  rays  fall  for  a  length 
of  time  upon  the  same  place.  Hence  it  is  that  towards  the  poles, 
where  the  days  are  very  long,  the  heat  in  certain  countries  is  some- 
times extremely  intense.  From  all  these  circumstances  it  appears 
that  the  sun  and  his  relative  position  to  the  earth  is  one  of  the  chief 
causes  of  the  heat  in  the  open  air. 


302 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


But  this  is  not  the  only  cause  ;  for  if  this  were  the  case,  the  heat 
of  every  summer  should  be  equal,  and  the  temperature  of  countries 
in  the  same  climate  should  be  always  exactly  the  same.  But  neither 
of  these  is  the  case  ;  for  it  is  observed  that  upon  the  highest  moun- 
tainsj  where  even  there  are  spacious  plants,  and  upon  these  moun- 
tains other  hills  and  more  plains,  it  is  much  colder  than  in  the  low- 
lands and  in  the  valleys.  Even  under  the  line,  if  we  ascend  from  a 
plain  where  the  heat  is  scarcely  supportable,  up  a  mountain  several 
hundred  feet  high,  we  shall  experience  the  most  intense  cold,  and 
enter  the  region  of  snow  and  ice.  It  has  also  been  remarked  in  win- 
ter, when  during  the  day  the  cold  has  been  very  severe,  it  sometimes 
sensibly  diminishes  towards  midnight,  and  then  becomes  temperate, 
although  the  sun's  rays  do  not  impart  warmth  to  the  atmosphere. 
This  will  prove  then  that  there  may  be  warmth  in  the  air  that  is  not 
immediately  produced  by  the  sun. 

There  are  substances  which  emit  sparks  and  take  fire  by  friction 
and  percussion.  The  axletrees  of  wheels  not  sufficiently  greased 
will  take  fire  when  the  carriages  roll  with  great  rapidity.  Other  sub- 
stances will  become  warm  and  enkindle  when  mixed  together.  If  a 
certain  quantity  of  water  be  poured  upon  a  truss  of  hay  or  straw,  a 
degree  of  warmth  will  be  produced.  Bodies  which  undergo  the 
process  of  putrefaction  and  of  fermentation  often  acquii  e  an  increase 
of  temperature.  Even  in  the  air  the  motion  of  certain  matters  may 
occasion  mixtures,  solutions,  and  combinations,  which  produce  a  great 
degree  of  heat.  Thus  we  may  conceive  how  heat  may  be  produced 
in  the  open  air.  At  first  the  sun  is  the  principal  cause  of  it :  to  the 
heat  which  proceeds  from  this  body  are  joined  that  of  several  living 
crea  ures  and  combustible  matters,  that  which  comes  out  of  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  from  the  depths  of  the  seas,  and  from  warm  mi- 
neral springs.  This  heat  is  often  much  increased  by  the  fermentation 
that  different  bodies  undergo,  either  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  or 
in  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  where  they  produce  warm 
exhalations.  When,  therefore,  the  particles  of  bodies  which  float  in 
the  lower  atmosphere,  and  which  are  capable  of  receiving  and  retain- 
ing heat,  are  warmed,  and  have  not  been  cooled  or  dispersed  by  wind 
and  rain,  their  heat  gradually  increases  till  it  becomes  intense  ;  and 
diminishes  when  any  of  the  above  causes  cease  to  act. 

All  these  arrangements  are  worthy  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of 
God  ;  they  are  beneficial  to  all  the  parts  of  the  habitable  world  ;  and 
every  climate  enjoys  all  the  happiness  of  which  it  is  susceptible.  But 
he  who  lives  in  a  temperate  climate  most  sensibly  experiences  the  pro- 
vidential and  guardian  care  of  our  Creator,  who  has  distributed  to  us 
cold  and  heat,  in  the  wisest  proportion,  with  a  mercy  that  claims  our 
gratitude  and  love. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


303 


AUGUST  XXI. 

DIVERSITY   OF  PLANTS. 

The  vegetable  kingdom  is  particularly  deserving  of  attention  on 
account  of  the  great  variety  in  plants,  with  respect  to  their  parts, 
fructification,  and  properties. 

The  manner  in  which  fructification  is  performed  in  several  plants 
is  very  obscure.  We  know  very  little  of  its  process  in  mosses,  mush- 
rooms, and  ferns.  Some  plants  exhibit  singular  monstrosities.  We 
see  flowers  which  have  no  tops  ;  there  are  some  out  of  the  middle  of 
w^iich  other  flowers  spring.  Certain  plants,  called  sleepy  plants, 
take  a  different  situation  at  the  approach  of  night  from  that  which 
they  had  during  the  day.  Others  turn  towards  the  sun  ;  and  some 
shrink  and  contract  upon  being  touched.  Some  flowers  open  and  shut 
at  regular  hours,  or  during  particular  states  of  weather  ;  and  some 
bud,  blossom,  bear  fruit,  and  lose  their  leaves,  earlier  than  others. 
Plants  also  differ  according  to  the  particular  place  in  which  they  grow. 
They  were  all  originally  wild,  that  is,  they  once  grew  spontaneously 
without  culture. 

The  Creator  has  assigned  to  plants  that  climate  which  best  suits 
their  particular  nature,  and  where  they  will  soonest  arrive  at  perfec- 
tion. But  those  which  are  exotics  may  be  naturalized  among 
us,  and  succeed  very  well,  provided  they  receive  a  proper  degree  of 
warmth. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  characteristics  of  plants  is  their  great 
diversity  of  form,  if  we  compare  the  most  perfect  species  with  those 
which  are  least  so,  or  if  we  only  compare  together  the  different  spe- 
cies of  the  same  class,  we  shall  be  struck  with  admiration  at  the 
astonishing  variety  which  nature  has  produced  in  the  vegetable  king- 
dom. If  we  only  consider  the  numerous  tribe  of  mushrooms,  or  the 
difTerent  species  of  plants  termed  imperfect,  we  cannot  but  admire  the 
great  fecundity  of  nature  in  these  vegetable  productions,  which  differ 
so  much  from  all  others  that  they  can  scarcely  be  ranked  among  the 
number  of  plants. 

If  we  rise  some  degrees  higher  in  the  scale  of  plants,  we  contem- 
plate with  pleasure  those  which  have  stalks  ;  from  the  grass  which 
grows  among  stones,  to  that  inestimable  plant  which  is  the  chief 
source  of  our  nourishment.  We  next  observe  the  great  variety  of 
creepers  ;  from  the  tender  bind-weed  to  the  vine. 

Another  most  admirable  thing  in  the  garden  of  nature  is,  that  in 
all  this  variety  the  most  perfect  harmony  reigns.  All  plants,  from 
the  hyssop  which  grows  on  the  wall  to  the  cedar  of  Lebanon,  have 
the  same  essential  parts.  A  little  herb  is  as  completely  formed  as  the 
most  beautiful  rose  ;  and  the  rose  as  the  most  lofty  oak.  In  all  are 
observed  the  same  general  laws  of  growth  and  increase,  and  yet  each 
species  is  distinct.  Out  of  so  many  thousand  plants,  there  is  not 
one  which  does  not  possess  a  distinct  character,  properties,  mode  of 


304 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


receiving  nourishment,  of  growing,  and  propagating  itself.  What 
inexhaustible  riches  we  discover  in  their  forms,  colours,  and  propor- 
tions !  What  pleasure  we  receive  from  observing  their  varieties,  and 
beholding  the  beauties  of  the  vegetable  kingdom!  Our- soul,  de- 
lighted with  the  prospect,  raises  itself  towards  God,  the  Father  and 
Creator  of  nature,  whose  bounty  is  every  where  manifest;  whose 
power  has  produced  all  these  plants,  and  whose  wisdom  has  arranged 
them  in  order  and  beauty. 


AUGUST  XXII. 

REFLECTIONS  UPON  THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM. 

The  animal  kingdom  may  be  considered  as  a  well-regulated  state, 
in  which  is  a  suitable  number  of  inhabitants,  each  having  an  allotted 
place ;  faculties  necessary  to  perform  their  requisite  duties,  and  re- 
wards and  punishments  to  excite  them  to  action  ;  with  a  sufficient 
protection  against  their  different  enemies.  In  this  republic  of  ani- 
mals, those  which  are  the  weakest,  and  they  are  by  far  the  greatest 
number,  are  obliged  to  submit  to  the  strongest ;  and  all  are  under  sub- 
jection to  man,  as  the  representative  of  the  Deity.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  animal  kingdom  find  in  all  parts  of  the  earth  a  sufficiency  of 
food  and  employment.  They  are  dispersed  in  every  direction,  and 
their  nature,  constitution,  and  organs,  are  adapted  to  the  different 
abodes  assigned  them. 

Their  employments  are  various,  and  tend  either  to  increase  their 
species,  to  provide  for  their  subsistence,  or  to  defend  themselves 
against  their  enemies.  All  the  parts  of  their  bodies  are  adapted  to 
their  pecuhar  nature  and  functions.  They  possess  certain  instincts 
which  compensate  for  their  deprivation  of  reason  ;  instincts  which 
are  diversified  in  various  ways,  according  to  their  necessities  ;  in- 
stincts for  motion  ;  instincts  to  enable  them  clearly  to  discern  their 
food,  to  seize,  and  to  prepare  it ;  instincts  to  construct  nests  and  suit- 
able habitations ;  to  propagate  their  species,  to  defend  themselves, 
and  to  secure  shelter  from  danger,  &c. 

In  each  class  of  animals  there  are  some  that  live  upon  prey,  seizing  . 
the  individuals  that  superabound  in  other  classes.  Each  species  has 
its  peculiar  enemies  ;  hence  none  of  them  increase  too  much,  and  a 
proper  proportion  is  maintained.  Animals  that  are  weak,  or  have 
some  defect,  are  commonly  the  first  which  fall  a  prey  to  others  ;  de- 
cayed fruits  and  carcasses  are  devoured,  by  which  means  the  earth  is 
not  troubled  with  them  ;  the  air  is  not  infected  ;  and  the  purity  and 
freshness  of  nature  are  preserved  untainted. 

Beasts  of  prey  have  a  structure  adapted  to  their  mode  of  life  ;  they 
have  great  strength,  agihty,  industry,  and  cunning.  But  that  they 
may  not  destroy  the  whole  tribe  of  animals,  they  are  restricted  within 
certain  limits.    They  do  not  multiply  so  fast  as  other  animals  ;  and 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


305 


they  often  destroy  one  another,  or  their  young  ones  become  the  vic- 
tims of  savage  rapacity. 

Some  animals  sleep  during  the  winter,  and  hve  upon  the  fruits  of 
the  eartli.  Weak  animals  are  provided  with  the  means  of  defence 
proportionate  to  their  place  of  abode,  and  the  dangers  to  which  they 
are  exposed  ;  their  natural  weapons,  their  agihty,  their  hiding-places, 
and  their  cunning,  preserve  them  from  destruction  :  and  thus  the 
proper  balance  is  maintained  between  every  species  of  the  brute 
creation. 

Animals  are  in  some  measure  obliged  to  perform  the  functions  as- 
signed them  ;  because  upon  this  their  comfort  depends.  They  find 
their  advantage  in  following  the  laws  which  nature  has  prescribed  for 
them  ;  and  cannot  transgress  them  without  subjecting  themselves  to 
various  evils.  The  class  of  mammalia  are  the  largest  in  size  as  well 
as  fewest  in  number,  and  they  fulfil  very  important  functions.  Birds 
perform  various  offices  ;  they  eat  superfluous  grains,  devour  dead  car- 
casses, and  diminish  the  number  of  insects.  The  greater  part  of  am- 
phibious animals  hve  upon  prey.  The  least  animals  are  the  most 
numerous,  and  very  voracious. 

All  that  we  see  so  admirable  in  the  animal  kingdom  demonstrates 
the  existence  of  a  superior  Being  who  is  all-powerful,  and  infinitely 
wise.  For  who  besides  could  have  peopled  this  vast  globe  with  so 
many  living  creatures  of  such  different  kinds,  or  provided  them  with 
all  that  is  necessary  to  their  life  and  well  being  1  Who  but  an  Omni- 
potent Being  could  have  supplied  all  the  w^ants  of  the  numerous  ani- 
mals that  exist  ]  Or  who  else  could  have  given  them  so  much  saga- 
city and  industry ;  so  much  address  and  instinct ;  assign  to  each  liv- 
ing creature  its  peculiar  element ;  form  all  the  limbs,  joints,  bones, 
muscles,  nerves,  and  vessels  ;  unite  them  with  so  much  harmony 
and  perfection,  that  each  animal  can  perform  its  different  motions  in 
the  manner  best  adapted  to  its  particular  manner  of  life,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances in  which  it  is  placed  1 


AUGUST  XXIII. 

DIVISION  OF  THE  EARTH. 

All  the  known  world  is  divided  into  four  principal  parts;  Europe, 
Asia,  Africa,  and  America.  Europe  is  the  smallest.  Its  length 
from  east  to  west  is  about  three  thousand  miles,  and  its  breadth  from 
north  to  south  about  two  thousand  five  hundred.  Its  inhabitants 
possess  various  countries  in  the  three  other  quarters  of  the  globe,  and 
nearly  half  the  earth  is  under  their  subjection.  The  Europeans  tra- 
verse every  part  of  the  globe,  and  receive  the  produce  of  every  chme. 
They  are  the  most  enlightened  of  any  people  upon  the  earth,  and 
cultivate  the  arts  and  sciences  with  the  greatest  success.  Europe  is 
the  only  quarter  of  the  globe  that  is  every  where  cultivated,  and  co- 
26*  2  0 


306 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


veied  with  towns  and  cities ;  the  only  part  whose  inhabitants  support 
an  uninterrupted  commerce  with  each  other,  and  who  profess,  with 
only  some  slight  variations,  the  same  religion.  The  three  other  quar- 
ters are  inhabited  by  a  number  of  different  people,  who  have  little 
connexion  together,  scarcely  know  one  another,  and  differ  as  much  in 
their  manners  as  in  their  religion  and  mode  of  living. 

Asia  is  the  largest  continent  known ;  its  length,  from  the  Darda- 
nelles on  the  w^est,  to  the  eastern  shore  of  Tartary,  is  four  thousand 
seven  hundred  miles ;  and  its  breadth,  from  the  southern  extremity 
of  Malacca  to  the  most  northern  cape  of  Nova  Zembla,  is  four  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  eighty  miles.  As  the  countries  situated  in 
the  interior  of  this  part  of  the  world  are  not  visited  by  the  refreshing 
sea-breeze,  nor  watered  by  many  rivers — as  they  contain  far  extend- 
ing plains  and  barren  mountains,  the  heat  and  the  cold  are  both  ex- 
tremely intense ;  the  earth  has  scarcely  any  fertility,  and  is  never 
cultivated. 

At  present  these  regions  are  only  inhabited  by  people  who  dwell  in 
tents,  and  lead  a  wandering  life,  which  seems  to  be  rendered  neces- 
sary by  nature.  The  more  settled  inhabitants  of  Asia  often  suffer 
from  the  restless  unquiet  disposition  of  these  wandering  tribes.  The 
northern  part,  which  is  full  of  lakes,  marshes,  and  forests,  has  never 
been  regularly  inhabited.  But  the  southern,  eastern,  and  western 
parts  are  the  finest  countries  in  the  world  ;  particularly  those  situated 
towards  the  south  :  they  are  most  luxuriantly  fertile,  producing  in 
lavish  abundance  every  thing  that  is  necessary  for  the  comforts  of 
life. 

Africa  is  a  peninsula  of  very  great  extent;  stretching  from  Cape 
Bona  north,  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  south,  four  thousand  three 
hundred  miles  ;  and  its  breadth,  from  Cape  Verd  to  Cape  Guardafui, 
is  three  thousand  five  hundred  miles.  It  is  under  the  torrid  zone, 
and  contains  vast  sandy  deserts,  mountains  of  a  stupendous  height, 
forests  burning  beneath  the  ardent  sunbeams,  and  monsters  of  every 
description.  The  excessive  heat  enervates  all  the  faculties  of  the 
soul.  We  know  very  little  of  the  interior  parts  of  the  country  ;  and 
though  so  contiguous  to  Europe,  very  few  well-regulated  states  have 
yet  been  discovered. 

America,  the  largest  division  of  the  known  world,  and  only  disco- 
vered by  Europeans  within  the  last  three  centuries,  is  composed  of  two 
great  continents,  separated  by  a  narrow  isthmus,  which  is  surrounded 
by  a  number  of  islands.  The  cold  which  reigns  in  the  northern  parts, 
the  few  useful  productions  found  there,  and  its  distance  from  inhabited 
countries,  are  the  causes  why  it  is  not  yet  entirely  known  ;  but  there 
is  reason  to  beUeve  that  the  natives  are  not  civilized. 

Forests  and  marshes  still  cover  a  great  part  of  the  country,  and  the 
eastern  parts  are  the  only  ones  cultivated.  In  South  America  there 
formerly  existed  considerable  empires ;  the  rest  of  the  country  was 
inhabited  by  wild  people.  The  serpents,  reptiles,  and  insects,  are 
much  larger  than  the  greatest  that  are  known  in  Europe.  America 
contains  the  largest  extent  of  country  in  the  world,  with  proportion- 


STURMIS  REFLECTIONS. 


307 


ably  the  fewest  inhabitants.  If  we  calculate  the  number  of  leagues 
contained  in  these  four  parts  of  the  earth,  they  will  seem  very  consider- 
able ;  and  yet  altogether  they  will  not  amount  to  the  fourth  part  of 
the  whole  globe,  which,  great  as  it  is,  appears  small  when  compared 
with  the  immense  bodies  in  the  heavens.  It  may,  however,  justly  be 
regarded  as  a  vast  theatre,  wehere  the  wonders  of  God  are  continually 
displayed  ;  and  as  we  can  know  very  little  of  the  worlds  around  us, 
let  us  endeavour  to  become  acquainted  with  that  which  we  inhabit. 


AUGUST  XXIV. 

OF  THE  NATURE  AND  PROPERTIES  OF  LIGHT. 

Though  we  continually  experience  the  utility  of  light,  we  cannot 
precisely  determine  its  nature.  All  that  the  greatest  philosophers 
nave  said  of  it  is  conjectural.  Whether  it  is  a  fluid  surrounding  our 
earth,  and  which,  to  become  perceptible,  requires  being  agitated  and 
put  in  motion  by  the  sun  or  some  other  inflamed  body  ;  or  whether  it 
is  fire  itself,  which  by  the  emanation  of  its  infinitely  subtile  particles 
gently  strikes  the  eyes  at  a  certain  distance  ;  is  still  a  question  among 
philosophers:  though  the  former  hypothesis  seems  tobe  the  most  pro- 
bable and  the  best  supported.  There  is  certainly  a  considerable  dif- 
ference between  fire  and  light,  the  latter  being  infinitely  more  subtile  j 
it  instantly  penetrates  glass  and  other  diaphanous  bodies,  w^hilst  fire 
does  it  much  more  slowly,  which  proves  that  the  pores  of  glass  are 
large  enough  to  admit  light  to  pass  heely,  but  obstruct  the  less  subtile 
particles  of  fire,  which  also  move  much  slower  than  light.  When 
burning  coals  are  brought  into  a  room,  it  is  slowly  and  gradually 
warmed  ;  but  the  instant  a  hghted  taper  is  brought  in,  the  whole 
apartment  is  suddenly  illuminated.  From  this  and  some  other  facts, 
we  may  conclude  that  fire  and  light  are  different  substances,  though 
generally  accompanying  each  other,  and  one  often  producing  the 
other. 

The  properties  and  effects  of  light  are  very  remarkable.  The 
rapidity  with  which  it  passes  is  prodigious  ;  being  only  seven  or  eight 
minutes  in  its  progress  from  the  sun  to  the  earth  ;  in  this  shoi  t  space 
of  time  traversing  several  millions  of  leagues.  The  observations  of 
astronomers  farther  inform  us,  that  the  rays  of  a  fixed  star,  before  they 
reach  us,  must  traverse  a  space  which  a  cannon-ball,  shot  with  the 
greatest  velocity,  could  not  pass  through  in  less  than  one  hundred 
and  four  thousand  millions  of  years.  The  expansion  of  light  is  not  less 
astonishing.  The  space  through  w^hich  it  is  diff'used  is  not  less  than 
the  universe  itself,  and  too  great  for  the  human  understanding  to 
comprehend.  This  boundless  diff'usion  of  hght  enables  us  to  discover 
the  very  remote  bodies  in  the  heavens  ;  and  could  we  obtain  glasses 
of  sufficient  powder,  we  might  discern  those  which  are  still  more  distant 
in  the  vast  regions  of  space. 


508 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Though  our  faculties  are  too  confined  to  embrace  all  the  designs  of 
the  Deity  respecting  the  nature  and  properties  of  light,  by  investigat- 
ing it  with  attention  we  may  obtain  considerable  information  upon  so 
important  a  subject.  Why,  for  instance,  does  light  move  with  such 
velocity,  and  penetrate  every  part,  but  that  a  variety  of  objects  may 
be  perceived  at  the  same  time  by  a  great  number  of  people,  and  that 
distance  may  not  prevent  their  being  seen  ?  If  the  propagation  of  the 
rays  of  light  was  slower,  great  inconveniences  must  result  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  ;  the  force  and  splendour  of  light  would  be 
much  diminished  and  enfeebled ;  the  rays  much  less  penetrating ; 
and  darkness  would  slowly  and  with  difficulty  be  dissipated.  Why 
are  the  particles  of  light  so  extremely  subtile,  but  to  paint  the  minutest 
objects  upon  the  retina  1  Why  have  they  not  more  density,  but  that 
they  may  not  dazzle  us  by  their  splendour,  and  injure  the  eye  by 
their  power  ?  And  why  are  the  rays  so  refracted,  if  not  to  enable  us 
more  easily  to  distinguish  objects  ? 

Thus  we  find  the  Creator  and  Parent  of  mankind  ever  operates  for 
our  good  and  advantage,  and  all  his  arrangements  are  wise  and  bene- 
ficial. Had  he  not  created  light,  we  could  not  have  enjoyed  life  ;  we 
should  have  been  deprived  of  every  external  source  of  pleasure,  and 
our  understanding  and  improvement  must  have  been  reduced  within 
very  narrow  limits. 


AUGUST  XXV. 

STRUCTURE  OF  BIRDS. 

Birds  may  unquestionably  be  ranked  among  the  most  beautiful 
creatures  of  the  earth.  The  form  of  their  bodies,  even  in  the  minutest 
particulars,  is  so  perfect  and  regular,  as  at  once  to  convince  us  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  Creator.  They  have  bones  like  the  mammalia,  but 
they  are  diflferently  clothed.  Their  bodies  are  covered  with  feathers 
fastened  to  the  skin,  lying  upon  each  other  in  regular  order,  and  fur- 
nished with  a  warm  and  soft  down.  The  large  feathers  are  covered 
above  and  below  with  smaller  ones,  and  each  consists  of  a  quill  and 
beard.  The  lower  part  of  the  quill  is  hollow,  and  by  it  the  feather 
receives  its  nourishment ;  toward  the  top  it  contains  a  kind  of  marrow. 
The  beard  is  a  range  of  small  thin  flakes,  closely  connected  at  the 
edges.  Instead  of  having  fore-legs  like  a  quadruped,  birds  have  wings 
composed  of  eleven  bones,  in  the  muscles  of  which  the  feathers 
enabling  them  to  fly  are  fixed.  The  structure  of  these  wings  is  very 
curious,  and  admirably  adapted  to  their  purpose.  Between  them  the 
body  is  perfectly  balanced,  and  placed  in  the  most  convenient  manner 
for  the  different  motions  it  has  to  perform.  The  heads  of  birds  are 
small ;  by  which  neither  the  action  of  the  wings  nor  the  progress  of 
the  birds  through  the  air  is  retarded.    Their  tails  are  useful  in  pre- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


309 


serving"  their  balance  whilst  flying-,  and  to  assist  them  to  ascend  and 
descend  in  the  air.  Their  legs,  from  their  particular  situation,  are 
well  adapted  to  preserve  the  centre  of  gravity ;  and  in  some  birds  they 
are  placed  so  far  back  as  to  enable  them  to  swim.  The  thighs  are 
clothed  with  muscles  and  feathers,  whilst  the  legs  are  generally  thin 
and  without  covering.  Most  birds  have  four  toes,  three  before  and 
one  behind ;  at  the  end  of  which  are  claws,  which  they  use  to  seize 
their  prey  and  food.  Some  birds  feed  upon  animals  ;  others  on  plants, 
grains  and  fruits,  which  they  steep*  and  soften  in  their  crop  ;  whence 
only  a  small  part  of  the  aliment  passes  at  a  time  into  the  stomach, 
which  in  this  species  of  birds  is  very  small,  and  composed  of  very 
strong  muscles  ;  these  assist  in  grinding  the  food,  and  small  stones  or 
gravel  are  also  swallowed  to  promote  digestion.  The  stomachs  of 
birds  of  prey  are  much  weaker. 

All  birds  are  constructed  with  such  wisdom,  that  they  are  enabled 
to  pursue  their  particular  mode  of  living  and  obtaining  food  with  great 
facility.  The  stork  and  the  heron,  which  obtain  most  of  their  food  in 
marshy  places,  have  a  long  beak  and  long  legs,  that  they  may  run 
in  the  water  and  readily  seize  their  prey.  The  eagle  and  the  hawk, 
which  only  live  by  rapine,  are  provided  with  large  wings,  strong 
claws,  and  sharp  beaks.  The  bill  of  swallows  is  small  and  pointed, 
and  their  mouth  large,  to  enable  them  to  catch  the  insects  which  they 
meet  when  flying.  The  swan  has  a  reservoir  in  its  windpipe,  whence 
it  draws  air  while  its  head  and  neck  are  plunged  under  water  seeking 
its  food.  Many  small  birds,  which  fly  and  hop  among  thickets,  have 
a  membrane  over  their  eyes  to  defend  them  from  injury.  Each  is 
perfect  in  its  kind,  and  admirably  constructed.  The  variety  is  very 
great  and  beautiful ;  and  we  must  always  admire  the  wisdom  of  God 
in  this  part  of  the  creation,  which  we  contemplate  with  such  pecuHar 
delight. 


AUGUST  XXVI. 

REFLECTIONS  UPON  THE  SKY 

Whoever  attentively  regards  the  heavens  must  be  struck  with 
admiration  at  the  view  of  this  magnificent  work  of  the  Creator.  How 
beautiful  is  the  azure  vault  suspended  above  the  earth;  in  the  day 
variegated  by  clouds,  and  by  night  resplendent  with  thousands  of 
stars,  and  luminous  with  the  moon's  silvery  radiance  !  We  contem- 
plate this  grand  spectacle  with  awe  and  sublime  emotion ;  we  consider 
with  woiider  the  immensity  of  space,  whose  beginning  and  end  we 
cannot  discover,  where  orbs  innumerable,  of  different  degrees  of  mag- 
riitude,  roll  their  spheres  one  beyond  another  in  their  prescribed  circles, 
till  distance  forbids  the  eye  to  penetrate  farther  in  the  boundless 
expanse ;  and  the  mind  owns  its  limited  powers,  whilst  it  ponders  in 


310 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


silent  astonishment  upon  the  Supreme  Being  who  made  the  heavens 
and  the  earth. 


AUGUST  XXVII. 

MORAL  REFLECTIONS   UPON  A  FIELD  OF  CORN. 

As  the  corn-field,  often  threatened  \Tith  danger,  and  exposed  to  the 
rude  visitation  of  the  tempest,  is  yet  preserved  in  safety  to  yield  its 
rich  stores  to  the  husbandman  ;  so  the  human  mind,  visited  by  afflic- 
tion, and  shaken  by  the  storms  of  adversity,  still  bears  up  against  the 
blast,  and  is  strengthened  and  purified  by  the  fierce  contention.  In 
the  moments  of  sorrow,  when  care  and  trouble  oppress  us,  our  know- 
ledge, faith,  and  humility,  are  increased  and  confirmed  ;  for  though 
like  the  tender  stalk  of  corn  we  bend  whilst  the  blast  sweeps  over  us, 
the  compassionating  hand  of  God  gently  raises  and  consoles  our 
afflicted  hearts. 

The  time  of  harvest  approaches,  the  corn  ripens  fast,  the  sun's 
warmth  and  soft  showers  descend  to  hasten  its  maturity.  May  we 
also,  as  each  succeeding  day  brings  us  nearer  to  our  end,  become  more 
mature  in  all  good,  and  prepare  to  be  gathered  unto  our  fathers  in 
eternal  glory.  Whatever  be  our  situation  in  this  state  of  existence, 
whether  cheered  by  prosperity,  or  darkened  with  impending  evils ; 
may  all  our  actions  tend  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  promotion  of 
piety. 

As  those  stalks  which  bear  the  largest  and  finest  ears  of  corn  bend 
beneath  their  treasure,  whilst  those  which  are  poor  and  light  stand 
erect  and  overlook  the  field  ;  so  we  may  observe  men,  vain  and  pre- 
sumptuous, without  knowledge  and  virtue,  proudly  hold  up  their 
heads,  and  contemptuously  look  down  upon  those  whom  religion 
teaches  to  be  humble,  and  whose  learning  has  estimated  the  limits  of 
human  attainment,  and  the  insignificance  of  vanity. 

All  the  corn  which  is  to  be  reaped  is  not  equally  good ;  tares  and 
weeds  are  mixed  with  it ;  and  so  with  men,  they  blend  together  both 
good  and  bad  qualities  ;  and  their  natural  corruption  often  retards 
their  progress  in  virtue.  The  dissipated  and  the  wicked,  by  their 
pernicious  examples,  often  sow  tares  in  the  field,  where  none  but  good 
seed  ought  to  grow.  The  master  of  the  field  permits  them  to  remain 
for  a  season,  and  patiently  waits  the  arrival  of  the  harvest,  before  he 
exercises  that  impartial  justice  which  separates  the  good  from  the  bad. 

The  sickle  mows  dow^n  the  corn,  and  the  fruits  of  the  earth  are 
joyfully  gathered.  Death  levels  with  the  dust  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
the  high  and  the  low,  the  wicked  and  the  righteous ;  and  happy  will 
be  the  hour  in  w4iich  those  who  have  preferred  the  pure  light  of 
religion  to  the  delusions  of  error,  are  received  into  the  regions  of  glory, 
and  numbered  among  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.  They 
will  gratefully  remember  the  storms,  the  dangers,  the  trials,  and  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Sil 


afflictions  through  which  they  have  been  preserved,  and  they  will 
joyfully  unite  with  angels  in  glorifying  tlie  God  of  Heaven. 


AUGUST  XXVIII. 

SHELL-FISH. 

Shell-fish,  or  testaceous  animals,  form  a  very  considerable  part  of 
the  animal  kingdom.  They  live  in  shells  formed  of  a  calcareous 
matter.  These  are  either  univalve,  of  one  piece  ;  or  bivalve,  and 
multivalve,  of  two  or  several  pieces.  Testaceous  animals  form  two 
great  families  :  that  of  muscles,  the  shells  of  which  are  of  more  than 
one  piece  :  and  that  of  snails,  whose  shell  is  of  one  piece,  and  spiral. 
The  structure  of  the  former  is  the  most  simple.  Muscles  have  neither 
head,  horns,  nor  jaws  :  a  mouth,  windpipe,  and  sometimes  a  species 
of  foot,  is  all  that  can  be  distinguished  in  them.  The  greater  part  of 
the  snail  species  have,  on  the  contrary,  a  head,  horns,  eyes,  and  a  foot. 

Shell-fish  differ  considerably  in  their  mode  of  generation.  In  some 
the  sex  may  be  discovered  ;  others  are  hermaphrodites  ;  and  in  some 
no  particular  sex  can  be  distinguished.  Some  are  oviparous;  others 
viviparous.  They  are  born  with  their  shell ;  and  as  they  grow,  the 
shell,  the  interior  of  which  is  lined  with  a  fine  membrane",  increases 
both  in  thickness  and  circumference.  The  shells  are  formed  by  a 
viscous  liquid  which  exudes  from  the  animal,  and  gradually  thickens 
and  becomes  harder.  Shell-fish  live  both  in  fresh  water  and  the  sea; 
near  the  shore  as  well  as  in  the  main  ocean  :  some  are  carnivorous, 
and  others  eat  vegetables  :  some  keep  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  or 
adhere  fast  to  the  rocks.  Oysters,  and  some  others  with  hard  shells, 
attach  themselves  to  different  bodies,  and  remain  firmly  united  to  them 
by  means  of  a  glutinous  gritty  liquid:  and  they  are  often  cemented 
fast  to  each  other.  This  adhesion  is  voluntary  in  some  shell-fish, 
which  have  the  power  of  fastening  themselves  as  occasion  may  re- 
quire :  but  in  others  it  is  involuntary  ;  and  they  always  continue  to 
the  rocks  on  w^iich  they  first  fastened. 

The  knowledge  that  we  have  of  these  various  animals  is  still  very 
imperfect.  As  they  generally  live  below  the  surface  of  the  water,  it 
is  diflficult  to  make  exact  observations  upon  their  structure,  mode  of 
receiving  nourishment,  of  propagating,  and  of  moving,  &c. ;  and  as 
yet  very  few  classes  of  them  are  known.  But  little  as  is  our  acquaint- 
ance with  them,  it  is  sufficient  to  make  us  admire  the  infinite  grandeur 
of  God.  How  immense  is  his  empire  !  We  every  where  find  creatures 
which  testify  his  power  and  wisdom.  How  beautiful  is  the  variety 
we  observe  in  the  form,  richness,  and  colour  of  shells,  w^hich  human 
art  can  never  equal ! 


312 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


AUGUST  XXIX. 

UPON  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  GOD. 

A  God,  who  from  his  supreme  elevation,  could  be  an  indifferent 
spectator  of  all  the  revolutions  which  take  place  in  the  w^orld,  would 
not  be  worthy  of  our  homage.  Happily  for  us,  the  government  of  our 
God  whom  we  adore  embraces  the  whole  creation.  We  every  where 
find  the  centre  of  his  empire,  but  can  no  where  discover  its  hmits.  All 
his  works  are  continually  before  his  view  :  he  at  once  perceives  the 
past,  the  present,  and  the  future  ;  and  comprehends  all  their  bearings 
and  dependences.  Nothing,  however  trivial  and  minute,  escapes  his 
notice  ;  every  thing  concurs  to  perfect  the  plan  he  has  formed,  and  to 
complete  his  wise  purposes,  which  all  tend  to  the  advantage  and  feli- 
city of  his  creatures.  All  his  laws  are  uttered  in  wisdom,  and  his 
commandments  are  a  source  of  joy  and  happiness. 

God,  by  his  providence,  presences  every  creature  which  he  formed 
in  the  beginning  of  the  world.  As  one  animal  dies,  another  supplies 
its  place  ;  and  one  generation  of  men  succeeds  another.  The  master 
of  the  world  makes  use  of  inanimate  creatures  to  preserve  those  which 
live  ;  he  subjects  all  to  man,  who,  of  all  created  beings,  is  the  only 
one  that  is  capable  of  knowing  and  worshipping  the  infinite  God  ; 
who,  all  pure  and  holy  himself,  also  wills  that  his  rational  creatures 
should  know  and  feel  the  beauty  of  holiness.  By  the  continual  proofs 
which  he  gives  them  of  his  love  for  goodness,  and  abhorrence  of  evil, 
he  speaks  to  their  hearts,  and  unceasingly  exhorts  them  to  walk  in 
the  path  of  virtue  ;  to  this  end  he  directs  their  actions,  renders  their 
designs  abortive  when  they  are  contrary  to  his  merciful  views,  and 
offers  them  the  means  of  avoiding  the  snares  of  iniquity. 

How  infinitely  wise  were  the  measures  which  he  used  to  conduct 
the  children  of  Israel  to  the  blessed  ends  that  he  proposed  !  In  vain 
did  the  nations  wrapped  in  idolatry  oppose  the  progress,  and  conspire 
the  destruction  of  a  people  who  marched  under  the  eternal  banners  of 
their  God,  and  followed  a  pure  and  holy  rehgion,  which  pre-eminently 
distinguished  them  from,  and  raised  them  above,  all  the  surrounding 
nations,  blinded  by  superstition,  and  persisting  in  their  errors. 

The  God  of  our  faith  dwells  in  light  inaccessible  ;  the  wisdom  of 
his  government  is  too  profound  for  human  nature  to  penetrate  ;  our 
understanding  is  not  capable  of  comprehending  all  his  plans,  or  to 
form  just  ideas  of  his  views  before  the  event  has  unfolded  them  ;  and 
our  knowledge  is  too  limited  to  scan  the  counsels  of  an  infinitely  wise 
Being,  and  to  discover  beforehand  the  motives  of  his  conduct  and 
dispensations.  The  seat  of  the  wicked  is  often  with  princes,  whilst 
fhe  righteous  man  hides  his  head  in  the  dust:  villany  triumphs,  and 
integrity  is  oppressed  ;  fortune  smiles  upon  iniquity,  and  the  friend  of 
religion  experiences  disappointment  and  adversity.  Yet  there  is  a 
Providence,  a  Father  tender  of  his  creatures,  a  God  infinitely  wise,  a 
King  just  and  righteous.    All  his  dispensations  are  worthy  of  adora- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


513 


tion,  however  impenetrable  they  may  appear.  His  counsels  are 
marvellous,  his  plans  past  finding  out ;  but  they  are  always  formed 
and  executed  with  supreme  wisdom  :  and  let  us  in  silent  reverence 
adore  our  God,  and  question  not  his  ways,  though  affliction  may  visit, 
and  misfortune  bear  heavy  upon  us. 


AUGUST  XXX. 

HARVEST  HYMN. 

Our  fields,  crowned  with  blossoms  and  ears  of  corn,  are  as  a  hymn 
of  praise  to  the  Creator ;  the  joy  which  sparkles  in  the  eyes  of  the 
reaper  is  a  hymn  to  the  God  of  nature.  It  is  he  who  causes  bread  to 
spring  out  of  the  earth,  and  who  loads  us  with  his  blessings.  Come, 
let  us  assemble  and  sing  unto  our  God ;  let  his  praise  ever  be  the 
subject  of  our  songs  ;  let  us  listen  to  the  glad  voice  which  rises  from 
the  bosom  of  our  fields,  *  the  year  shall  crown  thee  with  its  blessings, 
O  world,  whose  happiness  is  my  work.  I  have  called  forth  the  spring, 
the  harvest  is  the  work  of  my  power ;  the  fields  which  support  thee, 
and  the  little  hills  covered  with  corn,  are  mine.'  O  Lord,  we  behold 
thy  majesty,  and  feel  the  value  of  thy  beneficence.  By  thee  we  exist; 
our  life  and  preservation  are  thy  gifts.  Blessed  be  the  fields  that 
nourish  man  !  Flourish,  ye  beautiful  meadows  !  Be  covered  with 
thick  foliage,  ye  forests !  And  thou,  great  God  of  nature,  be  ever 
beneficent  towards  thy  creatures,  and  suffer  thy  children  to  repeat — - 
the  God  of  heaven  is  their  Father  ! 


AUGUST  XXXL 

THANKSGIVING  FOR  GOD's   PROVIDENTIAL  CARE  OF  HIS  CREATURES. 

Lord  God  !  my  redeemer,  my  rock,  and  sure  protector !  Thou 
alone  art  worthy  to  receive  glory,  honour,  and  praise  !  My  soul  blesses 
thee,  and  I  will  declare  thy  wonders.  I  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in 
thee,  and  will  celebrate  the  name  of  the  most  high  God. 

I  thank  thee  for  that  immortal  soul  which  thou  hast  given  me ; 
which  thou  hast  redeemed  by  thy  blessed  Son,  and  sanctified  by  thy 
grace. 

Eternal  Source  of  life  and  happiness !  it  is  by  thee  that  I  exist, 
and  I  will  for  ever  bless  thy  holy  name.  I  thank  thee  for  that  pa- 
rental care  which  provides  my  daily  support,  and  for  all  thy  number- 
less blessings.  I  thank  thee  for  those  dear  connexions  thou  hast 
enabled  me  to  form  ;  and  for  the  glorious  hope  of  finally  experiencing, 
when  my  mortal  career  is  terminated,  the  blessed  inheritance  of  the 
just  in  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  joy  and  celestial  beatitude,  where 


314 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


my  now  feeble  accents  will  join  the  loud  anthem  swelling  from  my- 
riads of  angels  that  harmonious  sing  thy  praise  in  endless  felicity. 


SEPTEMBER  I. 

HYMN  IN  PRAISE  OF  THE  MOST  HIGH. 

Sing  with  holy  rapture,  sing  a  new  song  to  our  God.  The  Lord  is 
great !  Let  us  for  ever  celebrate  that  Being  who  is  all  good,  all  wise, 
and  from  whose  eyes  nothing  can  be  hid. 

He  has  extended  the  starry  sky,  as  a  pavilion  over  our  heads. 
There,  encompassed  by  the  radiance  of  innumerable  suns,  he  has 
established  his  throne  ;  there  he  dwells  in  hght  inaccessible  to 
mortals. 

0  God,  I  am  lost  in  this  splendour  :  but  thou,  in  thy  infinite  good- 
ness, art  continually  present.  Ravished  with  the  wisdom  of  thy  ways, 
and  penetrated  with  admiration,  I  praise  and  exalt  thy  holy  name. 

1  glorify  thee,  who  governest  the  earth  with  paternal  care,  who  en- 
hghtenest  it  by  the  beams  of  the  star  of  day,  who  wate  rest  it  by  the 
rains,  who  refreshest  it  by  the  dew. 

Thou  coverest  it  with  smiling  verdure  ;  thou  crownest  it  with 
flowers ;  thou  enrichest  it  with  harvests  ;  and  thou  renewest  its  orna- 
ments and  blessings  year  by  year. 

Thy  cares  extend  to  all  that  exists,  and  the  least  of  thy  creatures 
is  the  object  of  thy  benevolence.  The  young  raven,  which  cries  to 
thee  from  tlie  summit  of  the  snow-capped  rock,  is  sustained  by  thy 
hand. 

Thou  commandest  the  cooling  stream  to  flow^  from  the  bosom  of 
the  desert  mountains :  thou  orderest  the  sun  to  mature  the  vines 
which  adorn  our  hills,  and  to  ripen  the  fruits  which  enrich  our 
orchards  ;  thou  sendest  the  breeze  through  our  forests. 

When  thy  sun  arises  to  enliven  the  world  with  the  splendour  of  his 
fii*es,  he  invites  thy  creatures  to  labour ;  every  thing  is  active  in  na- 
ture till  the  moment  in  which  the  shade  and  the  silence  of  night 
bring  the  desired  repose. 

But  when  the  day  begins  to  dawn,  the  choir  of  birds  breaks  the  still- 
ness of  the  grove  with  songs  of  gratitude  and  joy  :  then  all  the  na- 
tions of  the  world,  all  the  regions  under  heaven,  lift  up  one  concert  of 
praise  unto  thee. 

To  thee  they  raise  the  voice  of  thanksgiving.  Father  of  all  beings  ! 
thou  lovest  them  all,  thou  loadest  them  with  thy  gifts,  thou  hast  de- 
signed all  men  for  happiness,  provided  that  they  themselves  wish  to 
be  happy. 

May  thy  name  be  glorified  throughout  all  the  worlds  which  form 
thy  empire  !  and  let  every  voice  conspire  in  one  universal  hymn  to 
extol  thee,  the  all-wise,  the  all-beneficent  Deity ! 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


316 


SEPTEMBER  II. 

THE  OMNIPRESENCE  OF  GOD. 

Thou  art  every  where  present,  O  Almighty  God  !  Yes,  thou  art 
here,  thou  art  afar  off,  thou  fillest  the  universe.  Here  grows  a  flower  ; 
there  shines  a  sun  ;  thou  art  there,  thou  art  also  here.  Thou  art  in 
the  breeze  and  in  the  tempest ;  in  the  light  and  in  the  darkness  ;  in 
an  atom  and  in  a  world.  Thou  art  here  in  this  flowery  valley  ;  thou 
iendest  thine  ear  to  my  feeble  accents,  and  thou  hearest  from  the  foot 
of  thy  throne  the  sublime  songs  which  accompany  the  harps  of  the 
seraphim.  O  thou,  who  art  the  God  of  the  seraphim  ;  thou  art  also 
my  God,  thou  hearest  also  the  joyful  notes  which  pervade  the  air 
from  yonder  lark,  and  the  humming  of  this  young  bee  which  flutters 
on  the  rose.  Omnipresent  Being,  as  thou  hearest  me,  deign  likewise 
to  grant  my  request;  may  1  never  forget  that  I  am  in  thy  sight ;  may 
I  always  think  and  act  as  being  in  thy  presence,  to  the  end  that  when 
summoned  to  appear  at  the  tribunal  of  my  Judge  with  the  whole 
world  of  spirits,  I  may  not  be  constrained  to  flee  from  before  the  face 
of  the  Holy  of  holies. 


SEPTEMBER  III. 

THE  BEAUTY  AVD  VARIETY  OF  BUTTERFLIES. 

Let  us  observe  these  beautiful  creatures  whilst  they  yet  enpy  their 
transitory  existence ;  the  examination  may  perhaps  be  interesting 
both  to  the  mind  and  to  the  heart. 

The  first  thing  which  attracts  our  attention  on  beholding  these 
aerial  inhabitants,  is  the  clothing  with  which  they  are  adorned.  Yet 
some  of  them  have  nothing  very  striking  in  this  respect  to  engage  our 
notice  ;  their  vestment  is  plain  and  simple;  others  have  a  few  orna- 
ments on  the  wings ;  but  with  some  those  ornaments  amount  to  pro- 
fusion, and  they  are  covered  with  them  all  over.  Let  us  reflect 
awhile  upon  this  last  species.  How  beautiful  are  the  gradations  of 
colour  which  decorate  them  !  What  harmony  in  those  spots  which 
relieve  the  other  parts  of  their  attire  !  With  what  delicacy  has  nature 
pencilled  them  !  But  whatever  may  be  my  admiration  when  I  con- 
sider this  insect  by  the  naked  eye,  how  greatly  is  it  augmented  when 
I  behold  this  beautiful  object  through  the  medium  of  the  microscope  ! 
Would  any  one  ever  have  imagined  that  the  wings  of  butterflies  were 
furnished  with  feathers  1  Nothing  however  is  more  true,  and  what 
we  commonly  call  dust  is  found  in  reality  to  be  feathers.  Their 
structure  and  arrangement  are  as  full  of  symmetry  as  their  colours 
are  soft  and  brilliant.  The  parts  which  form  the  centre  of  those  little 
feathers,  and  which  immediately  touch  the  wing,  are  the  strongest ; 


316 


STURiM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


those,  on  the  contrary,  which  compose  the  exterior  circumference  are 
much  more  dehcate  and  of  an  extraordinary  fineness.  AH  these  fea- 
thers have  a  quill  at  their  base,  but  the  superior  part  is  more  transpa- 
rent than  the  quill  from  which  it  proceeds.  If  we  lay  hold  of  the 
wing  too  rudely,  we  destroy  the  most  delicate  part  of  the  feathers ; 
but  if  we  remove  all  that  we  term  dust,  there  remains  only  a  thin 
transparent  skin,  where  may  be  distinguished  the  little  orifices  in 
which  the  quill  of  each  feather  was  lodged.  This  skin,  from  the  na- 
ture of  its  texture,  may  be  as  easily  discerned  from  the  rest  of  the 
wing  as  a  fine  gauze  from  the  cloth  on  which  it  is  fastened  :  it  is  more 
porous,  more  delicate,  and  seems  as  if  embroidered  by  the  needle  ;  to 
complete  its  beauty,  its  extremity  finishes  by  a  fringe  whose  minute 
threads  succeed  each  other  in  the  most  regular  order. 

What  are  our  most  elegant  dresses,  what  is  all  their  boasted  orna- 
ment, in  comparison  of  that  refined  tissue  with  which  nature  has  in- 
vested this  simple  insect  ?  Our  finest  laces  are  only  like  coarse  cloth 
when  brought  to  vie  with  that  luxuriant  clothing  which  covers  the 
wings  of  the  butterfly,  and  our  smallest  thread,  compared  with  their 
infinitely  delicate  fibres,  appears  like  hempen  cord.  Such  is  the  won- 
derful difference  to  be  observed  between  the  works  of  nature  and  those 
of  art,  when  viewed  through  a  microscope.  The  former  are  finished 
to  all  imaginable  perfection ;  the  others,  even  the  most  beautiful  of 
their  species,  appear  incomplete  and  coarsely  wrought.  How  fine  a 
piece  of  delicate  cambric  appears  to  us  !  Nothing  more  slender  than 
the  threads,  nothing  more  uniform  than  the  texture  ;  and  yet,  in  the 
microscope,  these  threads  resemble  hempen  strings,  and  we  should 
rather  be  tempted  to  believe  that  they  had  been  interlaced  by  the  hand 
of  a  basket-maker,  than  wrought  on  the  loom  of  a  skilful  weaver. 

What  is  most  astonishing  in  this  brilliant  insect,  is,  that  it  proceeds 
from  a  worm  whose  appearance  is  mean  and  vile.  Behold  how  the 
butterfly  displays  its  gay  wings  before  the  sun  ;  how  it  sports  in  his 
rays,  how  it  rejoices  in  its  existence,  and  flutters  from  flower  to  flower. 
Its  wings  present  to  us  the  magnificence  of  the  rainbow.  How  beau- 
tiful is  the  butterfly  now,  which  but  a  little  while  ago  crept  in  the  form 
of  a  worm  in  the  dust,  in  perpetual  danger  of  being  crushed  to  death ! 
Who  has  raised  it  above  the  earth  1  Who  has  given  it  the  faculty  of 
inhabiting  the  ethereal  regions?  Who  has  furnished  it  with  its  painted 
wings  ?  It  is  God  ;  that  sovereign  Lord  who  is  its  creator  and  mine. 
In  this  extraordinary  insect  we  are  presented  with  an  emblem  of  that 
transformation  which  awaits  the  righteous.  Yes,  the  day  will  come, 
when  quitting  their  present  form,  they  shall  cease  to  grovel  upon  the 
earth  ;  when,  holy  and  glorious,  they  shall  be  lifted  above  the  clouds, 
and,  nothing  limiting  their  flight,  they  shall  soar  beyond  the  stars. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


317 


SEPTEMBER  IV. 

THE  GROWTH  OP  TREES 

Bvery  tree,  however  luxuriant  its  branches  may  be,  receives  its 
principal  nourisliment  from  its  lower  parts ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
its  juices  circulate  in  a  manner  analogous  to  that  of  the  blood  in  ani- 
mals. The  extremities  of  the  roots  form  a  prodigious  mass  of  spongy 
fibres  and  of  globules  of  air,  which  are  constantly  open  to  imbibe  the 
juice  which  the  earth  affords  them.  This  juice  is  at  first  only  water 
impregnated  with  earthy  matter  ;  then,  by  means  of  a  sort  of  milky 
substance,  which  is  peculiar  to  each  tree,  and  which  distinguishes  it 
from  others,  the  juice  acquires  a  nutritive  quality  before  it  ascends  into 
those  parts  of  the  tree  which  are  elevated  above  the  surface  of  the 
earth.  We  find,  by  the  aid  of  the  microscope,  that  wood,  notwith- 
standing its  hardness,  is  nothing  more  than  an  assemblage  of  an  in- 
finite number  of  minute,  hollow  fibres.  The  greater  part  of  them, 
especially  in  shrubs,  ascend  perpendicularly  ;  but  in  order  to  give 
more  consistence  to  these  fibres,  there  are  in  certain  trees,  particularly 
in  such  as  are  designed  to  be  more  strong  and  hard,  tubes  which  ex- 
tend horizontally  from  the  centre  to  the  circumference.  Influenced 
by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  the  sap  rises,  by  degrees,  into  the  branches 
and  into  all  their  minute  and  multiplied  ramifications  ;  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  blood,  issuing  from  the  heart,  is  carried  by  the  arteries 
and  the  veins  into  the  most  distant  extremity  of  the  animal  body. 
When  the  sap  has  been  sufficiently  diffiised  through  all  the  parts 
which  required  its  circulation,  the  remainder  of  it  fills  certain  large 
vessels  which  are  placed  between  the  inner  and  outer  bark  ;  and  hence 
arises  the  annual  growth  and  consequent  thickness  of  the  tree.  To 
be  convinced  of  this,  it  is  sufficient  to  cut  a  branch  transversely,  by 
which  we  shall  ascertain  the  age  of  the  tree.  Whilst  the  trunk  from 
time  to  time  increases  in  height  and  bulk,  the  roots  continue  a  pro- 
portional growth,  and  gradually  strike  a  deeper  hold  and  multiply 
their  supporting  fibres.  As  to  the  exterior  bark,  it  seems  destined  to 
serve  as  a  kind  of  garment  to  the  tree,  to  unite  securely  together  its 
component  parts,  and  to  preserve  its  more  delicate  but  essential  ones 
from  external  accidents,  and  from  the  inclemency  of  the  air. 

Thus  has  the  all-wise  Creator  formed  an  admirable  system  of  solid 
and  fluid  matter  in  order  to  give  life  and  growth  to  those  trees  which 
adorn  our  plains,  which  lend  their  friendly  shade  to  our  flocks,  to  our 
shepherds,  and  to  our  cottages,  and  which  afterward  serve  so  many 
purposes  useful  to  man.  Here  we  discover  a  wisdom  which  never 
fails,  whilst  it  prescribes  to  nature  laws  in  certain  prospects,  immu- 
table, which  act  without  interruption  under  the  eye  of  Providence. 
A  wisdom  so  profound,  a  skill  so  marvellous,  so  many  preparations 
and  combinations  for  each  tree,  ought  to  excite  us  more  and  more 
fervently  to  admire  and  venerate  the  creative  hand.  The  contem- 
plation of  this  wisdom  is  a  most  delightful  study,  and  we  shall  find 


318 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


ourselves  animated  by  it  to  glorify  that  God,  who  is  so  great  in  his 
counsels  and  plans,  and  so  wonderful  in  their  execution ;  the  more 
we  discover  the  traces  of  this  wise  Providence,  the  more  shall  we  be 
impelled  to  commit  all  our  interests  into  the  hands  of  him  who  can 
never  want  means  to  turn  every  thing  to  the  good  of  his  creatures  ; 
the  more,  in  fine,  shall  we  be  encouraged  to  raise  our  affections  to- 
wards him,  to  supplicate  him  to  enrich  our  souls  with  the  gift  of  wis- 
dom, and  to  make  them  grow  in  grace. 

May  we,  in  our  moral  and  intellectual  progress,  resemble  the 
growth  of  the  trees  !  As  they  from  year  to  year  put  forth  new  shoots 
towards  heaven,  as  they  extend  around  them  fresh  branches,  laden 
with  leafy  honours,  and  with  the  richer  burden  of  nutritious  fruits,  so 
may  our  souls  be  gradually  elevated  to  more  heavenly  heights  !  May 
they  attain  a  continually  increasing  light,  and  in  Iheir  intercourse 
with  mortals  present  a  succession  of  virtues  which  shall  for  ever  aug- 
ment in  brightness  and  in  power  !  Whilst  w^e  are  thus  internally  for- 
tified to  bear  with  firmness  the  storms  of  life,  and  whilst  we  are 
taught  to  receive  them  with  salutary  humility,  as  visitants  kindly  sent 
from  heaven  to  loosen  us  from  the  world,  may  we  never  find  an  em- 
blem of  our  state  in  the  ancient  tree,  which,  in  proportion  to  its  age, 
always  attaches  itself  the  more  strongly  to  the  earth ! 


SEPTEMBER  V. 

THE  ANT-LION. 

No  insect  is  more  remarkable  for  its  dexterity  than  the  ant-lion, 
though  its  figure  announces  nothing  extraordinary.  It  nearly  resem- 
bles the  woodlouse ;  its  body,  w^hich  is  composed  of  several  membra- 
neous rings,  and  terminated  in  a  point,  is  provided  with  six  feet.  Its 
head,  flat  and  square,  is  armed  with  two  moveable,  crooked  horns, 
whose  singular  structure  shows  how  admirable  nature  is,  even  in  the 
least  of  her  works. 

This  insect  is  the  most  subtle  and  dangerous  enemy  the  ant  has ; 
the  plans  which  he  forms  to  ensnare  his  prey  are  very  ingenious.  He 
mines  a  portion  of  earth  in  the  form  of  a  funnel,  at  the  bottom  of 
which  he  waits  to  seize  the  ants  w^iich  coming  by  chance  to  the  edge 
of  the  precipice,  are  thence  hurried  dow^n  to  their  merciless  foe.  In 
order  to  dig  it,  he  first  traces  in  the  sand  a  circular  furrow,  whose 
circumference  forms  precisely  the  mouth  of  the  funnel,  the  diameter 
of  which  is  always  equal  to  the  depth  he  gives  to  his  ditch.  When 
he  has  fixed  on  the  size  of  this  opening,  and  traced  the  first  furrow, 
he  digs  a  second  concentric  to  the  other,  in  order  to  throw  out  all  the 
sand  contained  in  the  first  circle.  He  performs  all  these  operations 
with  his  head,  which  serves  him  instead  of  a  shovel,  and  its  flat  and 
square  form  admirably  adapts  it  to  this  purpose.  He  also  takes  some 
sand  with  one  of  his  fore-feet  to  throw  it  beyond  the  first  furrow ;  and 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


319 


this  work  is  repeated  till  the  insect  has  reached  a  certain  depth  of 
sand.  Sometimes  in  digging-  he  meets  with  grains  of  sand  larger 
than  usual,  or  with  little  bits  of  dry  earth,  which  he  will  not  suffer  to 
remain  in  his  funnel ;  of  these  he  disencumbers  himself  by  a  sudden 
and  well-timed  manoeuvre  of  his  head.  Should  he  find  particles  yet 
larger,  he  endeavours  to  push  them  away  with  his  back,  and  he  is  so 
assiduous  in  his  labour  that  he  repeats  it  six  or  seven  times. 

At  length  the  ant-lion  begins  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  toil.  When 
his  nets  are  once  well  laid,  he  has  nothing  to  do  but  to  put  himself  on 
the  watch ;  accordingly,  motionless  and  concealed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ditch  which  he  has  dug,  he  patiently  waits  for  the  prey  which  he 
cannot  pursue.  If  any  ant  is  inadvertently  drawn  to  the  borders  of 
this  fatal  precipice,  it  generally  rolls  down  to  the  bottom,  because  the 
brink  is  made  sloping  ;  and  thus  the  sand  giving  way  beneath  its 
feet,  the  little  insect  is  forced  to  follow  the  dangerous  declivity  till  it 
falls  into  the  power  of  its  destroyer,  who,  by  means  of  his  horns, 
draws  it  imder  the  sand  and  feasts  upon  its  blood.  When  he  has 
sucked  all  the  juices  from  the  body,  he  contrives  to  eject  from  his 
habitation  the  dry  and  hollow  carcass  ;  repairs  any  damage  his  trench 
may  have  sustained,  and  puts  himself  again  in  ambush.  He  does 
not  always  succeed  in  seizing  his  prey  at  the  moment  of  its  fall  ;  it 
frequently  escapes  him,  and  endeavours  to  remount  the  funnel ;  but 
then  the  ant-lion  works  with  his  head  and  causes  a  shower  of  sand 
10  descend  upon  his  captive,  and  precipitate  it  once  more  to  the 
bottom. 

All  the  actions  of  this  little  animal  display  an  art  so  extraordinary, 
that  we  might  long  examine  them  without  being  wearied.  The  ant- 
lion  employs  itself  in  preparing  trenches  even  before  it  has  seen  the 
animal  which  it  is  to  ensnare,  and  which  is  to  serve  for  its  nourish- 
ment ;  and  yet  its  actions  are  so  well  regulated,  that  they  could  not 
be  better  adapted  to  accomplish  these  purposes. 

How  would  an  animal,  so  destitute  of  agility,  have  been  able  to 
entrap  its  prey  more  easily,  than  by  digging  in  a  moveable  sand  and 
giving  a  sloping  declivity  to  the  funnel  ?  What  better  stratagem  could 
it  have  devised  for  covering  the  ants  which  were  on  the  point  of  escap- 
ing, even  from  this  skilfully  constructed  snare,  than  in  overwhelming 
them  with  showers  of  sand,  and  thus  cutting  off  all  hopes  of  a  re- 
treat ?  All  its  actions  have  fixed  principles  by  which  they  are  directed. 
The  trench  must  be  dug  in  the  sand,  or  it  could  not  answer  the  de- 
sired purpose  :  he  must,  according  to  the  structure  of  his  body,  work 
backwards,  and  use  his  horns  like  a  pair  of  pincers,  in  order  to  throw 
the  sand  over  the  brink  of  the  funnel.  The  instinct  which  governs 
this  insect  discovers  to  us  a  first  cause,  whose  intelligence  has  foreseen 
and  ordained  every  thing  that  was  necessary  for  the  preservation  and 
well  being  of  such  an  animal.  The  skill,  w^hich  it  evinces  is  not  the 
fruit  of  experience  and  of  exercise  ;  it  commences  with  its  existence. 
We  must  therefore  seek  its  origin  in  the  wisdom,  the  power,  and  the 
goodriess  of  that  Supreme  Being,  who  has  proportioned  the  instinct 
of  animals  according  to  their  several  wants. 


320 


STURM  S  REFLECTIONS. 


These  considerations  offer  a  new  encouragemenl  to  glorify  hira, 
who  is  the  Creator  of  man  as  well  as  of  the  minute  insects  we  have 
been  conteniplaiing  !  Beneticent  source  of  life,  thou  lovest  to  diffuse 
it  abroad,  and  thou  hast  formed  this  humble  receptacle  of  it  in  such  a 
manner  that  its  existence  shall  be  blessed ;  thou  hast  furnished  all 
the  means  requisite  to  its  enjoyment  of  life,  and  by  the  instinct  with 
which  thou  hast  endowed  an  animal,  otherwise  so  impotent,  it  arrives 
at  a  skill  which  approaches  to  reason,  and  in  some  measure  even  sur- 
passes it  !  And  what  has  been  the  design  in  all  this,  but  to  furnish 
us,  even  by  the  most  despicable  creatures,  with  opportunities  of 
knowing:  thee  ?  To  this  purpose  let  us  devote  our  studies  of  nature  ; 
and  then  every  branch  of  them,  however  insignificant  their  objects 
mav  appear,  will  elevate  our  thoughts  towards  thee,  who  hast  created 
the  small  worm  as  well  as  the  huge  elephant,  and  who  extendest  thy 
cares  with  equal  benignity  to  the  one  and  to  the  other. 


SEPTEMBER  VI. 

CONFORMITY   BETWEEN   PLANTS   AND  ANIMALS. 

It  is  often  extremely  difiiciilt  to  determine  the  precise  difference 
between  plants  and  animals.  Nature  descends  by  imperceptible 
degrees  from  animal  to  vegetable  existence  ;  and,  to  distinguish  the 
exact  limits  of  these  gradations,  nothing  short  of  an  angel's  penetra- 
tion would  sutiice.  And  we  may  remark,  that,  notwithstanding  all 
the  differences  between  these  two  species  of  organized  bodies,  we  may 
still  find  in  them  much  resemblance. 

The  seed  is  to  the  plant,  what  the  egg  is  to  the  animal.  From  the 
former  springs  the  stalk  which  was  before  concealed  under  its  coats  ; 
and  this  stalk  makes  an  effort  to  raise  itself  out  of  the  earth.  In  like 
manner,  the  animal,  enclosed  in  the  egg,  breaks  the  shell,  in  order  to 
breathe  the  open  an.  The  eye  or  bud  of  the  tree  is  in  the  vegetable, 
what  the  embryo  is  in  the  animal  kingdom  :  this  eye  does  not  pierce 
through  the  bark  till  it  has  acquired  a  certain  thickness,  and  it  then 
remains  attached  to  it  in  order  to  receive  nourishment  from  it  as  well 
as  from  the  fibres  of  the  plant. 

The  embryo,  at  the  end  of  the  appointed  time,  comes  forth  from 
the  womb  ;  and  would  soon  perish,  were  it  not  sustained  by  its  mother. 
The  plant  is  supported  by  the  alimentary  juices  which  are  brought  to 
it  from  without,  and  which  passing  through  various  channels,  are  at 
length  changed  into  its  own  substance.  The  nourishment  of  the 
animal  is  affected  in  a  similar  manner.  It  also  receives  its  nourish- 
ment from  without,  and  after  havmg  passed  through  different  vessels, 
is  transformed  into  animal  substance. 

The  fecundation  of  the  germ  takes  place  in  the  vegetable  kingdom 
when  the  dust  of  the  stamina  penetrates  into  the  pistils  ;  and  fecunda- 
tion among  animals  is  produced  when  the  seminal  liquor  penetrates 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


321 


into  the  ovaries  or  matrix.  The  multiplication  of  plants  is  effected 
not  only  by  seed  and  by  ingrafting,  but  also  by  shps.  In  like  manner 
animals  are  propagated,  not  only  by  laying  eggs,  and  bringing  forth 
their  young  alive  ;  but  also  by  slips,  as  in  the  case  of  the  polypus. 

The  diseases  of  plants  arise  from  causes  sometimes  external,  some- 
times internal ;  and  it  is  the  same  v^^ith  those  of  animals.  To  conclude, 
death  is  common  to  them  both,  when  old  age,  having  hardened  and 
obstructed  the  vessels,  the  circulation  of  the  juices  is  necessarily 
stopped.  Plants  and  animals  are  situated  in  the  same  places.  The 
earth,  both  on  its  surface  and  within  its  bosom,  the  air,  the  sea,  and 
the  rivers,  are  alike  filled  with  animals  and  with  plants.  Both  are 
extremely  numerous,  though  animal  rather  than  vegetable  forms 
seem  to  bear  the  preponderance. 

Thus  one  might  be  almost  tempted  to  believe  that  animals  and 
plants  were  beings  of  the  same  class,  since  nature  seems  to  pass  from 
one  to  the  other  by  imperceptible  degrees,  and  that  even  when  she 
has  risen  by  this  gradation  to  the  most  obvious  difference,  she  still 
connects  the  two  orders  together  by  a  very  striking  similarity  in  all 
her  principal  operations.  Of  this  at  least  we  are  certain,  that  some 
general  and  essential  resemblances  have  been  found  in  the  two  king- 
doms ;  but  that  hitherto  the  truly  characteristic  differences  have  never 
been  clearly  ascertained.  And  though  some  should  be  discovered 
which  have  not  yet  been  observed,  we  must  always  acknowledge  that 
nature  diversifies  her  works  by  gradations  so  fine  and  delicate,  that 
the  human  mind  can  with  difficulty  discern  them.  And  who  knows 
what  discoveries  may  be  reserved  for  posterity  1  Perhaps  futurity  will 
bring  to  light  plants  whose  properties  will  approach  still  nearer  to 
those  of  animals ;  perhaps  some  animals  may  be  discovered  which, 
even  more  closely  than  the  polypus,  will  be  allied  to  the  class  of 
vegetables. 

Let  us  endeavour  to  make  that  use  of  these  facts  for  which  all  the 
truths  of  nature  and  of  revelation  are  designed,  even  to  draw  from 
them  continued  incitements  to  glorify  God  and  to  strengthen  our 
minds  in  virtue.  Let  the  great  resemljlance  which  we  find  between 
animals  and  plants,  render  us  sensible  to  the  power  and  wisdom  of 
that  Being  who,  on  all  his  creatures,  has  in  some  measure  impressed 
the  character  of  infinity.  But,  O  man,  leain  to  be  humble.  Thou 
participatest  in  the  nature  of  plants,  and  in  that  of  animals  ;  to  Jesus 
alone  thou  art  indebted  for  thy  elevation,  and  a  much  higher  afiinity, 
art  lifted  up  from  thy  corporeal  relation  with  the  beasts  that  perish  to 
a  spiritual  union  with  angels,  whose  perfections  thou  art  called  upon 
to  imitate,  with  assurances  that  thy  endeavours  will  be  rewarded  with 
£L  perpetual  approximation  towards  their  excellence. 


322 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


SEPTEMBER  VII. 

THE  NATURE  AND  PROPERTIES  OF  SOUND. 

Sounds  are  produced  by  means  of  the  air  ;  but  it  is  necessary  for 
this  purpose  that  the  air  sliould  be  put  into  motion.  Not  that  the 
agitation  of  the  air  alone  occasions  a  sound,  for  in  that  case  all  wind 
would  be  attended  with  a  noise.  To  produce  sound,  the  air  must  be 
suddenly  compressed,  that  it  may  afterward  dilate  and  expand  itself 
anew  by  its  own  elastic  force.  Thus  a  sort  of  tremulous  undulation 
takes  place,  something  similar  to  those  waves  and  concentric  circles 
which  appear  on  the  water  after  a  stone  has  been  thrown  into  it.  But 
if  this  undulatory  movement  took  place  only  in  those  particles  of  air 
which  are  compressed,  the  sound  would  not  reach  our  ears.  It  is 
necessary,  therefore,  that  the  sonorous  body,  after  having  made  its 
impression  on  the  air  contiguous  to  it,  should  continue  the  impression 
from  particle  to  particle,  in  a  circular  direction  to  all  parts. 

By  means  of  this  propagation,  the  last  vibration  is  communicated 
to  the  air  immediately  surrounding  our  ear,  and  we  have  then  the 
perception  of  sound.  With  such  amazing  celerity  is  this  chain  of 
successive  motions  formed  in  the  atmosphere,  that  sound  is  known  to 
travel  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand  feet  in  the  space  of  a  second,  and  in 
consequence,  a  German  league  in  twenty  seconds.  This  calculation, 
which  has  been  verified  by  a  multitude  of  experiments,  may  be  useful 
in  many  cases ;  the  knowledge  of  it  contributes  to  our  security  in 
teaching  us  how  far  the  thunder  is  distant  from  us,  and  consequently 
in  apprizing  us  of  our  danger  or  safety  in  the  place  where  we  hear  it 
roll.  We  have  only  to  number  the  seconds,  or  to  count  the  strokes 
of  our  pulse  between  the  flash  of  lightning  and  the  clap,  and  we  may* 
immediately  ascertain  the  precise  distance  of  the  thunderbolt.  By 
the  same  means  we  may  determine  the  respective  distances  of  differ- 
ent places  ;  as  well  as  that  which  separates  two  ships.  It  is  very 
remarkable,  that  a  weak  sound  propagates  itself  with  the  same 
velocit}^  as  one  that  is  strong.  The  agitation  of  the  air  is,  however, 
greater  in  proportion  to  the  strength  of  the  sound,  because  a  larger 
volume  of  air  is  put  into  motion.  Sound  is  therefore  loud  when  many 
particles  of  air  are  in  motion,  and  weak  when  it  is  confined  to  a  few. 

But  what  benefit  could  we  derive  from  those  observations  which 
philosophers  have  made  upon  the  nature  and  properties  of  sound,  if 
our  bodies  were  not  so  constituted  as  to  enable  us  to  receive  the  per- 
ception of  sound  ?  Let  us  then  praise  God,  who  has  not  only  disposed 
the  air  in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce  sound  by  its  vibrations,  but 
has  also  given  us  an  organ  capable  of  receiving  every  sonorous  impres- 
sion, from  the  deep  and  awful  roar  of  the  tempest  which  rages  over 
the  billowy  bosom  of  the  sea,  to  the  gentle  whisper  of  the  breeze 
which  refreshes  without  agitating  the  fa,ir  and  delicate  forms  of  vernal 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


323 


A  thin,  elastic  membrane,  stretched  at  the  bottom  of  the  ear,  hke 
the  parchment  over  a  drum,  receives  the  vibrations  of  air,  and  thus 
enables  us  to  distinguish  every  species  of  sound.  Thus  far  our  know- 
ledge of  this  subject  extends  ;  but  if  we  enquire  by  what  means,  on 
the  pronunciation  of  a  word,  our  minds  immediately  form  the  idea  of 
a  word,  and  not  of  a  simple  sound,  or  why  a  tone  can  actuate  our 
souls  and  create  in  them  so  many  different  notions,  we  are  compelled 
to  acknowledge  our  ignorance.  Yet  in  this,  as  in  every  thing  else, 
where  our  researches  are  shut  in  by  the  contracted  limits  of  our  finite 
nature,  we  ought  to  rest  satisfied  in  the  conviction  of  the  wisdom  and 
the  goodness  of  our  Creator.  Had  not  sound  existed,  all  mankind 
•would  have  been  mute,  and  alike  inadequate  to  all  the  purposes  of 
speech  as  the  inarticulate  babe  which  is  yet  insensible  to  the  noble 
talent  it  will  presently  possess.  By  means  of  sound,  every  creature 
is  able  to  make  known  its  wants  or  express  its  happiness. 

Man  derives  from  this  privilege  advantages  to  which  no  other  ani- 
mal can  aspire.  He  can  at  once  express  all  the  sentiments  of  his 
heart,  and  excite  what  passion  he  pleases  by  certain  modulations  of 
his  voice.  God  has  not  only  conferred  upon  us  the  power  of  distin- 
guishing sounds  by  the  organ  of  hearing,  he  has  also  furnished  us 
with  the  means  of  preserving  this  precious  faculty.  When  one  ear 
has  become  injured,  the  other  refuses  not  its  services,  but  in  some 
measure  performs  a  double  duty,  and  supplies  the  place  of  its  suffer- 
ing companion  ;  as  all  our  powers,  whether  mental  or  corporeal,  im- 
prove by  exercise,  and  quicken  in  their  sensibility  of  the  difTerent  ob- 
jects to  which  they  are  applied,  when  the  sense  of  hearing  loses  its 
wonted  acuteness,  the  acoustic  horn  is  often  found  to  be  of  great  be- 
nefit. Should  it  even  happen  that  the  external  auditory  tube  be  in- 
jured, the  internal  one,  which  terminates  in  the  mouth,  may  probably 
Jiave  continued  unhurt. 

Another  source  of  comfort  in  that  wonderful  chain  of  blessings 
which  takes  its  origin  from  the  simple  faculty  of  sound,  is  the  power 
of  music.  A  multitude  of  harmonious  instruments  are  formed  to 
recreate  and  to  charm  us,  and  we  listen  with  delight  to  their  various 
tones,  which  we  are  enabled  to  discriminate  with  nicety  and  precision. 
Thus  has  our  beneficent  Creator  condescended  to  minister  even  to  our 
pleasures.  With  what  grateful  sentiments  ought  we  then  to  approach 
his  throne,  inspired  by  the  contemplation  of  those  refined  joys  of  which 
we  are  made  susceptible  through  the  influence  of  music.  May  the 
recollection  of  so  elevated  a  privilege  never  cease  to  impress  our  minds 
with  the  fervour  of  pious  thankfulness  !  Ma}^  hymns  of  gratitude  be 
resounded  far  as  sound  can  traverse  and  air  continue  its  vibrations  1 
May  the  universe  echo  to  his  praise,  and  heaven  and  earth  listen  to 
the  wonders  which  Omnipotence  has  performed  for  man  ! 


324  STURIVI'S  REFLECTIONS. 

SEPTEMBER  VIII. 

THE  MYSTERIES  OF  NATURE. 

When  men  attempt  to  investigate  things,  and  to  penetrate  into  the 
causes  of  those  effects  which  they  have  witnessed,  they  are  com- 
pelled to  acknowledge  how  weak  and  limited  are  their  miderstand- 
ings.  The  knowledge  v/e  have  of  nature,  of  which  we  are  some- 
times so  vain,  extends  little  farther  than  to  a  superficial  acquaintance 
with  the  effects  of  a  few  things  which  are  immediately  under  our 
notice  ;  and  which  we  are  able,  in  a  certain  degree,  to  apply  to  our 
own  advantage.  But  to  reach  the  causes  of  those  effects,  or  to  know 
how  they  operate,  generally  exceeds  the  grasp  of  our  finite  faculties. 
There  are  a  thousand  efiects  in  nature  which  remain  concealed  from 
us  :  and  in  those  which  we  are  able  to  develop,  a  degree  of  obscurity 
almost  always  impedes  our  researches,  and  reminds  us  that  we  are 
but  men.  There  are  many  phenomena  of  whose  immediate  causes 
we  are  ignorant ;  many  others  are  doubtful  ;  those  which  we  do  know 
are  very  few. 

We  hear  the  wind  blow  ;  we  experience  its  powerful  and  various 
effects  ;  but  w^e  know  not  exactly  what  produces  it,  what  augments 
its  violence,  and  what  appeases  it.  From  a  small  seed  we  see  a  plant 
spring  with  stalks  and  ears  ;  and  we -know  not  by  what  means.  Still 
less  can  we  comprehend  how  a  plant  can  spring  from  a  small  kernel 
and  grow  into  a  large  tree,  in  the  branches  of  which  the  birds  make 
their  nests  ;  which  covers  itself  with  leaves,  and  with  blossoms  to  re- 
fresh and  to  charm  us,  which  gives  us  fruit  for  our  nourishment,  and 
wood  for  our  various  wants  and  conveniences.  All  the  aliments 
which  we  use  and  which  are  of  such  different  natures,  are  by  an  in- 
comprehensible mechanism  transformed  within  us  into  one  substance ; 
and  this  substance  assimilates  with  our  flesh  and  blood.  We  see  the 
wonderful  effects  of  the  loadstone,  and  we  believe  that  there  must  be 
a  certain  matter  which  operates  in  it ;  but  whether  it  acts  by  an  at- 
tractive power  peculiar  to  itself,  whether  it  is  a  sort  of  fluid  perpetu- 
ally circulating  about  the  loadstone,  or  whether  it  forms  a  kind  of 
vortex,  we  are  unable  to  determine. 

We  feel  the  cold,  but  hitherto  no  naturalist  has  found  out  the  cause 
of  its  production.  We  know  more  respecting  the  nature  of  thunder 
and  lightning  than  our  ancestors  did  ;  but  to  ascertain  what  that 
electric  matter  is  which  displays  itself  with  such  sublime  terrors  in 
the  storm,  eludes  our  feeble  perceptions.  We  know  that  the  eye 
recognizes  the  images  which  are  painted  on  the  retina,  and  that 
the  ear  is  susceptible  of  the  vibrations  of  the  air ;  but  how  shall 
we  discern  what  those  perceptions  are  and  how  they  are  formed  1 
We  are  conscious  of  the  existence  of  the  soul  in  the  body ;  but 
who  shall  explain  the  nature  of  their  union  and  of  their  recipro- 
cal influences  1  The  effects  of  fire  and  air  are  continually  before  us  ; 
but  what  is  their  precise  nature,  what  are  their  integral  parts,  and 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


how  do  they  produce  their  different  effects  ?  In  a  word,  on  the  greater 
number  of  objects  we  have  no  sure  and  incontestable  principles  to 
satisfy  our  inquiries  :  they  begin  with  conjectures,  anct  they  termi- 
nate, at  best,  in  probabihties.  What  are  the  hypotheses  of  philoso- 
phers but  so  many  tacit  confessions  of  the  confined  limits  of  their 
knowledge  1  At  every  step  nature  presents  us  with  wonders  which 
confound  and  astonish  us  ;  and  however  deep  our  researches,  however 
extensive  our  discoveries,  still  a  thousand  treasures  of  nature  must 
ever  remain  covered  wit  h  that  mysterious  veil,  which  cannot  be  drawn 
aside  by  the  efforts  of  finite  reason.  It  is  true,  we  sometimes  arrive 
at  the  power  of  giving  happy  explications  to  certain  phenomena  ;  but 
the  principles,  the  first  causes,  their  nature,  and  their  manner  of  ope- 
ration, are  always  elevated  above  the  sphere  of  our  intelligence. 

The  mysteries  of  nature  every  day  impart  to  us  lessons  of  wisdom 
on  the  subject  of  the  mysteries  of  religion.  In  nature  God  has  put 
immediately  within  our  reach  the  means  of  passing  happily  our  tem- 
poral life,  although  he  may  have  hid  their  sources  from  us.  Thus 
also  in  the  kingdom  of  grace,  he  has  furnished  us  with  the  powers 
necessary  to  the  attainment  of  a  spiritual  and  eternal  life,  whilst  yet 
the  manner  of  their  operation  remains  concealed  from  us.  Nobody 
refuses  to  eat  and  drink  because  he  is  unacquainted  with  the  compo- 
sition of  the  aliments  which  preserve  his  life  and  strength  :  neither 
does  any  one  neglect  to  sow  or  plant  because  he  has  no  just  idea  of 
the  manner  in  which  vegetation  operates  ;  nor  shall  we  find  any  per- 
son so  ridiculous  as  to  reject  the  use  of  the  wool  which  his  sheep  pro- 
vide for  him,  merely  because  he  knows  not  how  it  is  produced.  The 
extravagance  of  man  rises  not  to  this  height.  On  the  contrary,  he 
is  attentive  to  the  productions  of  nature  ;  experience  shows  him  their 
utihty,  and  he  avails  himself  of  it  with  gratitude  to  his  Creator.  But 
how  shall  we  account  for  a  conduct  so  opposite  to  this  with  regard  to 
the  mysteries  of  grace  1  Why  are  disputes  entertained  on  the  nature 
of  the  means  of  salvation,  on  their  efficacy,  and  their  mode  of  opera- 
tion, whilst  they  neglect  that  salutary  application  of  them  for  which 
they  are  designed  1  Why  are  we  not  as  wise  in  spiritual  things  as  in 
those  which  are  temporal^  and  which  *  perish  with  the  using]'  In- 
stead of  giving  up  ourselves  to  vain  and  idle  speculations,  let  us  be 
prevailed  upon  to  lay  hold  of  those  gracious  privileges  which  God  has 
vouchsafed  to  us,  and  serve  him  with  cheerfulness  and  fidehty.  This 
is  the  purpose  for  which  we  are  sent  into  a  world  replete  with  won- 
ders, in  a  state  of  being  which  admits  not  of  their  solution,  and  not 
to  trifle  away  our  time  in  unprofitable  researches  and  too  curious  dis- 
quisitions. If  we  meet  with  things  which  we  cannot  comprehend  or 
penetrate,  let  us  receive  them  with  humility,  and  acknowledge  in 
them  the  proofs  of  the  feebleness  of  our  understanding.  It  is  suffi- 
cient that  the  advantage  which  accrues  to  us  from  the  good  use  we 
make  of  them,  convinces  us  that  they  are  the  work  of  a  Being  infi- 
nitely wise  and  beneficent. 

God  forbid  that  we  should  be  so  presumptuous  as  to  induge  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  fathom  the  mysteries  of  nature  or  of  grace ; 


326 


STURM'S  REFT.EC^nONS 


and  let  us  be  very  careful  nol  to  censure  what  we  cannot  comprehend. 
Let  us  rather  avow  the  weakness  of  our  judgment,  the  bhndness  of 
our  understanding,  and,  in  the  deepest  prostration  of  soul,  acknow- 
ledge the  immensity  of  the  Deity.  Thus  shall  each  mystery  awaken 
adoration  to  that  Being  whose  works  are  marvellous  beyond  human 
penetration,  and  whose  wisdom  infinitely  transcends  the  brightest  in- 
telligence of  man. 


SEPTEMBER  IX. 

EYES  OF  ANIMALS. 

The  mere  consideration  of  the  eyes  of  different  species  of  animals, 
is  sufficient  to  convince  us  of  the  w^isdom  with  which  God  has  formed 
the  bodies  of  his  creatures.  He  has  not  given  to  all  the  organs  of 
sight  in  the  same  manner,  but  has  diversified  them  according  to  their 
different  natures. 

The  eyes  of  most  animals  appear  to  be  round  ;  but  even  in  this 
spherical  figure  there  is  considerable  variety.  Their  situation  in  the 
head,  near  the  brain,  is  subject  to  many  variations.  Man  and  the 
greatest  part  of  quadrupeds  have  six  muscles  attached  to  each  eye,  by 
which  they  are  enabled  to  move  it  from  one  side  to  another.  The 
position  of  the  eyes  is  such,  that  they  can  look  straight  forwards  and 
almost  describe  a  half  circle.  But  in  this  there  is  some  variety. 
Horses,  oxen,  sheep,  swine,  and  most  quadrupeds,  have  a  seventh 
muscle  to  suspend  and  support  the  globe  of  the  eye  ;  and  this  is  the 
more  necessary  because  their  head  and  eyes  are  inclined  towards  the 
earth,  particulajly  when  they  feed. 

The  eyes  of  frogs  differ  from  ours;  for  they  can  cover  them  with  a 
transparent  membrane,  though  of  a  close  texture  ;  this  defends  their 
eyes,  and  preserves  them  from  the  dangers  to  which  animals  in  their 
particular  way  of  life  are  exposed,  living  partly  on  land,  and  sometimes 
under  water.  Fhes,  gnats,  and  other  similar  insects,  have  a  more 
perfect  sight  than  other  creatures  ;  they  have  nearly  as  many  eyes  as 
there  are  apertures  in  their  cornea  ;  and  whilst  animals  which  have 
only  two  eyes  are  obliged  to  turn  towards  the  objects  they  design  to 
perceive  by  means  of  muscles  ;  flies  see  very  distinctly  all  round  them 
without  impediment,  and  without  the  necessity  of  moving  their  eyes, 
because  one  or  other  of  these  is  continually  directed  towards  the  sur- 
rounding objects.  Fish,  which  live  in  an  element  more  dense  than 
ours,  could  see  nothing,  and  would  be  blinded  by  the  strong  refraction 
of  the  rays  of  light,  though  ihmj  have  two  well-formed  eyes,  if  their 
crystalline  humour  was  not  spherical,  by  which  they  are  enabled  the 
better  to  collect  the  rays  of  light.  They  have  no  eyelids,  and  they 
cannot  draw  back  their  eyes  ;  but  their  cornea,  which  is  almost  as 
hard  as  horn,  preserves  them  from  all  danger.  The  mole  was  for- 
merly supposed  to  be  bhnd  ;  but  it  is  now  discovered  that  it  has  ex- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


327 


tremely  small  black  eyes,  not  larger  than  a  pin's  head.  As  this  ani- 
mal is  almost  always  under  ground,  its  eyes  are  defended  from  injury 
by  being  thus  small,  deep  in  the  head,  and  covered  with  hair.  The 
eyes  of  snails  are  placed  at  the  extremities  of  their  horns,  which  they 
can  draw  within  their  heads,  or  push  out  to  discover  distant  objects. 
In  some  animals  whose  head  and  eyes  are  fixed  and  incapable  of  mo- 
tion, this  defect  is  compensated  either  by  their  superior  number  of  eyes, 
or  in  some  other  way.  The  spider  has  four,  six,  and  sometimes  eight 
eyes,  all  placed  in  the  front  of  a  small  round  head  without  a  neck  ; 
they  are  transparent  and  sparkling  as  diamonds.  According  to  the 
mode  of  life  and  different  necessities  of  certain  species  of  spiders, 
their  eyes  are  differently  distributed  in  their  head,  that  their  sight 
may  be  extended  to  all  sides,  and  that  without  moving  their  head 
they  may  discover  the  flies  which  they  wish  to  ensnare.  The  came- 
leon,  a  species  of  lizard,  has  the  singular  property  of  moving  one  of 
its  eyes  whilst  the  other  remains  motionless  ;  of  turning  one  upward 
whilst  the  other  looks  down  upon  the  ground  ;  and  of  seeing  at  the 
same  time  both  what  is  before  it,  and  what  behind.  We  observe  the 
same  faculty  in  some  birds,  and  in  hares  and  rabbits,  whose  eyes  are 
convex  ;  this  peculiar  property  preserves  them  from  many  dangers, 
and  enables  them  more  easily  to  discover  their  food. 

All  these  examples,  and  a  much  greater  number  might  be  given, 
evidently  manifest  the  tender  cares  of  Providence  for  the  preservation 
of  the  most  necessary  organs.  He  has  communicated  the  blessing  of 
light  to  his  creatures  in  different  ways  ;  and  we  are  struck  with  ad- 
miration, when  we  consider  the  wonderful  art  displayed,  and  the  pre- 
cautions taken  to  preserve  the  possession  of  this  precious  organ,  and 
to  defend  it  from  the  dangers  to  which  it  is  exposed.  The  situation 
of  the  eyes,  their  arrangement,  number,  and  figure,  in  all  animals 
could  not  have  been  differently  disposed  without  the  gren  -est  inconve- 
nience being  felt.  It  is  not  merely  for  ornament  and  beauty,  but  for 
the  benefit  and  advantage  of  the  animals,  that  the  Creator  has  made 
so  much  diversity  in  the  structure  and  position  of  their  eyes.  Let  the 
foregoing  observations  teach  us  to  acknowledge  and  to  celebrate  the 
wisdom  of  God  in  all  things ;  and  seriously  to  consider  the  ends 
which  he  has  proposed  in  the  creation,  that  we  may  more  and  more 
magnify  and  exalt  his  power  and  goodness. 


SEPTEMBER  X. 

FISH. 

Unless  we  had  seen  fish,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  believe 
that  such  creatures  existed.  If  a  naturalist,  who  was  only  acquaint- 
ed with  land-animals,  were  told  that  a  species  of  creatures  inhabited 
water,  so  formed,  that  they  could  live,  move,  and  propagate,  and  fulfil 
ail  the  animal  functions  in  that  element,  would  he  not  treat  such  in- 


328 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


formation  as  unworthy  of  belief,  and  conclude  from  what  happens  to 
our  own  bodies  when  immersed  in  water,  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  any  animal  to  live  and  breathe  long  in  a  watery  medium  ! 

The  way  in  which  fish  live,  their  structure,  their  motion,  and  pro- 
pagation, are  very  curious,  and  afford  fresh  proofs  of  the  wisdom  and 
power  of  God.  That  animals  may  live  in  w^ater  it  is  necessary  that 
their  bodies  be  very  differently  constructed  from  those  which  live  only 
upon  land.  And  this  peculiarity  we  find  when  we  examine  the  exte- 
rior and  interior  structure  of  fish.  Why  have  most  fish  a  slender  thin 
body,  flattened  on  the  sides,  and  ponited  towards  the  head,  but  to 
enable  them  to  swim,  and  more  easily  cut  through  the  water  ?  Why 
are  they  covered  with  scales,  if  not  that  their  bodies  may  be  defended 
from  the  pressure  of  the  water  ?  Why  are  many  fish,  particularly 
those  which  are  destitute  of  scales,  enveloped  with  a  smooth  oily  co- 
vering, but  to  preserve  them  from  injury,  and  to  keep  them  warm  ] 
Their  bones  are  peculiarly  light  and  flexible  ;  their  eyes  are  deep  in 
their  head,  and  their  crystalline  humour  is  spherical,  that  they  may 
be  secured  from  injury,  and  more  able  to  concentrate  the  rays  of  light. 
Their  fins  are  their  only  limbs,  and  by  them  they  perform  their  differ- 
ent motions.  By  means  of  their  tail  fin,  they  move  forward  ;  their 
back  fin  directs  the  motion  of  their  bodies  ;  their  breast  fin  enables 
them  to  rise,  and  their  belly  fin  preserves  their  balance.  The  gills  are 
their  organs  of  respiration  ;  they  are  placed  behind  their  head  ;  and 
there  are  four  of  them  on  each  side  ;  of  which  the  uppermost  are  the 
largest.  They  continually  lake  in  water  by  their  mouth,  which  is 
their  inspiration,  and  evacuate  it  through  the  gills,  which  is  their  expi- 
ration. The  blood  which  proceeds  from  the  heart,  and  which  passes 
through  the  veins  of  the  gills,  does  not  return  through  the  lungs  to 
the  heart,  as  in  terrestrial  animals,  but  is  directly  distributed  to  every 
part  of  the  body.  The  organ  most  essential  to  fish  in  swimming  is 
the  air-bladder  enclosed  in  their  belly,  and  communicating  with  their 
stomach.  By  means  of  this  bladder,  they  can  make  their  body  more 
or  less  heavy  ;  when  it  is  inflated  they  become  lighter,  rise,  and  can 
swim  near  the  surface  of  the  water  ;  but  when  it  is  contracted,  and 
the  air  is  compressed,  the  body  becomes  heavier,  and  sinks  in  the  wa- 
ter. If  the  bladder  is  pricked  witli  a  pin,  the  fish  immediately  falls  to 
the  bottom,  and  cannot  again  rise  to  the  surface. 

The  immense  number  of  fish,  and  their  great  variety  of  shape  and 
size,  also  merit  our  attention.  In  the  waters  of  Germany  only  there 
are  more  than  four  hundred  different  species  of  fish  ;  and  how  nume- 
rous must  be  the  individuals  of  each  species  !  Their  figure  also  is 
much  varied.  We  see  among  fish  the  greatest  as  well  as  the  smallest 
animals.  Some  are  long  and  fine  as  a  thread  ;  others  short  and  broad  ; 
others  are  flat,  round,  triangular,  &c.  and  some  are  armed  with  a 
horn ;  others  with  a  species  of  sword  ;  and  others  with  a  kind  of  saw. 
Some  have  nostrils  through  which  they  evacuate  the  superfluous  wa- 
ter they  have  swallowed.  We  have  in  all  this  abundant  cause  to 
admire  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  Creator,  so  eminently  displayed 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  329 

in  the  formation  of  these  animals,  and  to  be  grateful  for  his  goodness 
in  giving  them  all  for  our  use. 


SEPTEMBER  XL 

OF   THE   PROPAGATION   OF  ANIMALS. 

It  was  once  supposed  that  vermin,  insects,  and  even  some  quadru- 
peds, were  generated  from  putrefaction,  without  the  interposition  of 
other  animals  of  the  same  species ;  but  this  opinion,  so  contrary  to 
reason,  is  refuted  by  the  most  incontestable  experiments.  It  is  now 
generally  understood  that  all  animals  are  capable  of  producing  others, 
and  that  this  propagation  is  generally  effected  in  two  ways  ;  by  eggs, 
and  by  producing  the  young  ones  alive.  All  animals  that  give  milk, 
or  of  the  class  of  mammalia,  are  viviparous.  All  birds  are  oviparous  ; 
but  their  eggs,  before  they  are  capable  of  producing  young  creatures, 
must  be  impregnated  by  the  male.  In  most  animals  it  is  necessary 
for  the  male  and  female  to  unite  together;  fish  only  seem  to  be  an 
exception  to  this  rule.  They  have  not  been  known  to  couple,  but 
the  male  is  supposed  to  impregnate  the  eggs  after  they  have  been 
spawned. 

Fish  are  the  most  prolific  of  all  animals ;  their  multiplication  is 
astonishingly  great.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  the  pike  lays  three 
hundred  thousand  eggs,  the  carp  above  two  hundred  thousand,  and 
the  mackerel  near  half  a  million.  The  eel  is  viviparous.  Most  am- 
phibious animals  propagate  their  species  like  others,  except  that  some 
of  them  resemble  fish  in  this  particular.  Some  are  viviparous,  and 
others  oviparous  ;  the  latter  however  do  not  hatch  their  eggs,  but 
leave  them  to  the  warmth  of  the  air,  or  water  ;  and  others  deposite 
them  in  dunghills. 

Worms  are  both  viviparous  and  oviparous  ;  most  of  them,  if  not  all, 
are  hermaphrodites,  partaking  of  the  nature  of  both  sexes,  with  the 
power  of  self  impregnation.  The  distinction  of  sexes  is  very  evident 
in  most  insects ;  though  in  some  no  sex  can  be  observed,  and  others 
seem  to  combine  both  sexes  in  one  body.  Insects  are  generally  ovipa- 
rous ;  though  some  are  viviparous.  The  eggs  of  the  former  are  hatched 
by  the  warmth  of  the  air.  The  insect  called  the  leaf-louse,  or  blight, 
is  viviparous  ;  an  insect  of  this  species  taken  at  the  time  of  its  birth, 
separated  from  all  intercourse  with  insects  of  the  same  species,  and  shut 
up  perfectly  alone,  will  nevertheless  produce  young  ones.  This  takes 
place  in  the  following  manner :  In  spring,  and  during  summer,  the 
females  of  this  class  of  insects  bring  forth  their  young  without 
previous  union  with  the  male  ;  they  are  then  viviparous.  A  single 
one  will  produce  a  hundred  more  in  less  than  than  three  weeks.  All 
that  are  born  in  this  season  are  females :  the  males  are  produced  in 
autumn  ;  at  which  time  they  couple,  and  the  females  lay  eggs,  which 
are  hatched  in  spring.  Thus  one  junction  of  the  male  and  female 
28*  2  R 


330 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


produces  several  generations,  the  individuals  of  which  are  impregnated 
in  their  mother's  eggs  also. 

When  we  reflect  on  this  variety  in  the  propagation  of  animals,  we 
must  be  convinced  of  the  power  and  wisdom  manifested  in  an  extra^ 
ordinary  degree.  The  instinct  which  leads  the  two  sexes  to  unite 
together  is  truly  admirable,  and  is  a  natural  propensity,  not  produced 
by  any  external  or  adventitious  circumstances.  Most  animals  have 
a  precise  time  for  bringing  forth  their  young,  and  every  thing  that  is 
known  with  respect  to  this  part  of  the  animal  economy  displays  an 
equal  wisdom  with  the  rest  of  nature's  works ;  and  we  have  great 
reason  to  be  thankful  that  the  different  species  of  animals  are  pre- 
served by  means  of  that  instinct,  which  induces  them  at  certain 
periods  to  unite  together  for  the  preservation  and  continuance  of  their 
race. 


SEPTEMBER  XII. 

INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MOON  UPON  THE  HUMAN  BODY. 

Formerly  certain  influences  were  ascribed  to  the  moon,  tending  to 
nourish  superstition  and  occasion  idle  fears.  The  gardener  would  not 
plant  till  he  had  made  observations  on  the  moon,  and  the  husband- 
man would  not  sow  till  he  was  assured  of  the  happy  influence  of  this 
planet.  Those  who  were  sick  paid  a  strict  attention  to  the  variations 
of  the  moon,  and  even  physicians  regarded  their  influence  as  an  object 
worthy  of  notice.  As  knowledge  became  more  generally  diffused, 
these  prejudices  began  to  disappear  ;  and  the  influence  of  the  moon  is 
no  longer  considered  so  powerful  and  universal  an  agent  in  nature  as 
was  formerly  imagined.  The  present  age  is  less  superstitious  than 
the  last ;  and  it  is  the  duty  of  every  man  to  use  all  his  exertions  in 
separating  truth  from  error,  and  to  rescue  his  fellow-creatures  from  the 
despotic  sway  of  blind  superstition.  With  regard  to  the  effects  of  the 
moon  on  the  human  body,  some  caution  is  requisite  before  we  pro- 
nounce a  decided  opinion  upon  it ;  for  totally  to  deny  such  an  influence 
would  be  as  irrational  as  to  attribute  to  it  a  very  great  power  and 
action.  We  must  allow  that  the  moon  produces  great  changes  in  the 
air,  and  hence  may  occasion  certain  alterations  in  our  bodies.  The 
moon  may  cause,  in  the  superior  part  of  the  atmosphere,  such  con- 
siderable motions  and  alterations,  as  to  produce  winds,  heat,  cold, 
exhalations,  mists,  &c.  by  which  the  health  of  our  bodies  may  be 
greatly  aflfected.  It  is  observed  that  people  labouring  under  certain 
infirmities  experience  exacerbations,  and  more  acute  pains,  at  the  new 
and  full  moon.  And  if  it  is  true  that  a  cold  moist  air,  and  foggy 
stormy  weather,  have  very  different  effects  upon  the  body  than  a 
warm,  dry,  and  serene  air,  it  is  by  no  means  surprising  that  the  moon 
has  an  influence  upon  our  constitution,  seeing  that  it  so  considerably 
affects  the  state  of  the  air.    The  action  then  of  this  planet  upon  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


331 


human  body  cannot,  be  disputed,  because  it  is  founded  on  a  certain 
principle,  which  is,  that  our  health  greatly  depends  upon  the  weather, 
and  the  constitution  of  the  air  we  breathe,  and  these  are  materially 
affected  by  the  moon. 

In  general  we  ought  to  admit  it  as  a  principle,  to  the  glory  of  our 
Creator,  that  in  all  natural  things  there  are  certain  connexions  which 
influence  the  animal  economy  in  various  ways.  There  are  doubtless 
in  the  atmosphere  many  wonders  unknown  to  us,  and  which  may 
occasion  considerable  revolutions  in  nature  ;  and  there  may  certainly 
occur  many  phenomena  in  the  corporeal  wwld  which  are  influenced 
by  the  moon.  The  light  reflected  from  her  during  the  night  is  probably 
one  of  the  least  of  the  purposes  she  answers  ;  and  her  being  placed 
so  near  to  the  earth  was  perhaps  to  produce  certain  effects  upon  it, 
which  the  other  planets  could  not  do,  because  of  their  greater  distance ; 
for  we  have  reason  to  believe,  that  every  thing  in  our  system  has 
some  relation  to  our  globe.  The  beauty  of  the  universe  consists  in  the 
diversity  and  harmony  of  the  several  parts  which  compose  it ;  in  the 
nature  of  their  effects,  and  in  the  total  of  happiness  which  results 
from  the  various  combinations.  If  then  we  believe  that  God  has 
arranged  all,  and  established  the  connexions  which  exist  among  the 
spheres,  we  shall  banish  from  our  minds  every  superstitious  fear  of  the 
influence  of  the  moon  and  planets,  and  shall  no  longer  suffer  vain 
terrors  to  pervade  our  hearts  ;  but  we  shall  be  convinced  such  ideas 
are  contrary  to  divine  wisdom  ;  and  as  we  become  persuaded  that  he 
who  governs  all  things  with  infinite  goodness  and  power,  operates 
only  for  the  happiness  of  his  creatures,  we  shall  confide  in  him  with 
certainty,  and  repose  upon  his  parental  regard  with  joyful  and  heart- 
felt gladness. 


SEPTEMBER  XIII. 

THE  MINERAL  KINGDOM. 

We  require  many  materials  to  enable  us  to  procure  wholesome  and 
convenient  dweUings.  If  these  materials  had  been  scattered  over  the 
face  of  the  earth,  considerable  inconvenience  would  have  been  expe- 
rienced, and  plants  and  animals  would  scarcely  have  had  suflficient 
room.  But  happily  our  earth  is  free  from  such  encumbrance.  Its 
surface  may  be  traversed  by  its  inhabitants,  or  cultivated  without  any 
hinderance.  Metals,  stones,  and  several  other  substances  which  we 
continually  use,  are  enclosed  beneath  our  feet  in  immense  receptacles, 
whence  we  extract  them  when  we  want  them.  These  bodies  are  not 
concealed  in  the  centre  of  the  earth,  nor  are  placed  at  an  inaccessible 
depth  ;  they  lie  beneath  the  surface,  which  covers  them  as  a  dome, 
and  which,  whilst  it  is  suflfiiciently  thick  to  produce  nourishment  for 
man,  is  thin  enough  to  be  readily  dug  through ;  so  that  we  can  obtain 
the  substances  contained  in  these  vast  storehouses  of  nature. 


332 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


All  the  substances  in  the  mineral  kingdom  may  be  divided  into 
four  classes,  each  having  its  distinguishing  characteristic.  The  first 
class  includes  the  earths.  This  name  is  given  to  such  bodies  as  are 
not  dissolved  by  water,  fire,  nor  oil,  which  are  not  malleable,  and  bear 
the  action  of  fire  without  losing  any  of  their  substance.  This  class, 
besides  the  simple  earths,  includes  the  stones  which  are  composed  of 
them.  Of  stones,  there  are  two  kinds,  precious  and  common  ;  the 
latter  are  the  most  numerous,  and  present  us  with  masses  differing  in 
figure,  colour,  size,  and  hardness,  according  to  their  component  parts. 
There  is  also  a  considerable  diversity  among  precious  stones.  Some 
are  perfectly  transparent,  and  these  appear  to  be  the  most  simple  ; 
others  are  more  or  less  opaque,  according  to  their  particular  compo- 
sition. 

Salts  form  the  second  class  in  the  mineral  kingdom.  They  are 
divided  into  acids,  which  are  sharp  and  sour  ;  and  into  alkalies,  which 
impart  to  the  tongue  a  bitter,  burning,  and  lixivial  sensation  ;  these 
have  the  property  of  changing  vegetable  blues  into  green,  whilst  the 
acids  convert  blue  into  red.  A  certain  combination  and  mixture  of 
these  two  different  salts,  form  what  are  called  neutral  salts.  Among 
these  is  classed  common  or  kitchen  salt,  which  is  extracted  from  the 
earth,  or  prepared  from  sea- water  by  evaporation.  All  these  salts  are 
one  of  the  principal  causes  of  vegetation.  They  also  probably  serve 
to  unite  and  strengthen  the  parts  of  plants,  as  well  as  of  other  com- 
pound bodies ;  and  they  produce  fermentation,  the  effects  of  which 
are  so  various. 

The  third  class  of  the  mineral  kingdom  comprehends  those  inflam- 
mable bodies,  which  are  generally  called  bitumens.  These  burn  in 
the  fire,  and  when  they  are  pure  dissolve  in  oil,  but  never  in  water. 
They  differ  from  other  minerals,  by  containing  more  of  inflammable 
matter,  which  renders  those  bodies  in  which  it  is  found  in  a  sufficient 
quantity  combustible  ;  and  there  is  more  or  less  of  it  in  all  bodies. 

The  fourth  class  contains  the  metals.  These  are  the  heaviest  of 
all  bodies  ;  they  become  fluid  if  exposed  to  the  action  of  a  strong  heat, 
and  resume  their  solidity  when  cooled.  They  are  resplendent  and 
malleable.  Some  of  them  when  melted  in  fire  experience  no  dimi- 
nution of  weight,  nor  any  sensible  alteration  ;  and  these  are  called 
the  perfect  metals  ;  of  which  there  are  three  species,  gold,  silver,  and 
platina.  The  imperfect  metals  are  destroyed  more  or  less  readily  by 
the  action  of  the  fire,  and  are  converted  into  oxides.  One  of  these, 
lead,  has  the  property  of  being  converted  into  glats,  and  of  vitrifying 
all  other  metals,  except  gold  and  silver.  The  imperfect  metals  are 
five  in  number,  viz.  mercury  or  quicksilver,  lead,  copper,  iron,  and 
tin.  There  are  besides  other  metals  distinguished  from  these  in  being 
neither  ductile  nor  malleable  ;  these  are  called  semi-metals,  and  are 
seven  in  number,  platinum,  bismuth,  nickel,  arsenic,  antimony,  zinc, 
cobalt.* 

♦  The  division  of  metals  into  perfect  and  imperfect,  into  metals  and  semi-metals,  is 
now  generally  discarded.    Since  the  author  wrote  the  above,  more  metallic  substances 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


333 


The  whole  mineral  kingdom  may  be  regarded  as  the  workshop  of 
nature,  where  she  secretly  labours  for  the  benefit  of  the  creation  ;  but 
we  are  ignorant  of  the  way  in  which  she  operates,  and  we  cannot 
discover  how  she  forms  the  various  substances  which  she  presents  to 
us.  We  are  not  well  acquainted  with  the  surface  of  the  earth,  much 
less  do  we  know  the  interior.  The  deepest  mines  are  not  more  than 
six  hundred  and  thirty  fathoms  below  the  surface,  and  that  is  not  the 
six  thousandth  part  of  the  earth's  diameter.  This  alone  is  sufficient 
to  convince  us  of  the  impossibility  of  having  an  exact  knowledge  of 
the  nature  and  formation  of  the  various  substances  in  the  mineral 
kingdom.  But  fortunately,  in  the  use  which  we  make  of  the  gifts  of 
nature,  it  is  of  little  consequence  whether  or  not  we  are  exactly  ac- 
quainted with  their  origin  and  first  principles.  It  is  sufficient  for  us 
to  know  how  to  apply  them  to  the  most  beneficial  purposes  ;  and  we 
know  enough  of  them  to  be  convinced  of  the  glory  of  the  Creator, 
whose  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness,  are  manifest  in  every  thing  above 
or  beneath  the  earth. 


SEPTEMBER  XlV. 


EXOTIC  PLANTS. 


Men  never  regard  with  sufficient  attention  the  gifts  of  God,  parti- 
cularly those  which  come  to  us  from  distant  countries.  If  we  con- 
sidered how  much  labour  and  industry  are  required  before  we  can  ob- 
tain a  little  sugar,  or  cinnamon,  we  should  not  receive  the  gifts  of 
nature  with  such  unconcern  as  we  generally  do  ;  but  we  should  look 
vip  witli  gratitude  to  that  Supreme  Being  who  makes  his  blessings 
flow  to  us  through  so  many  channels.  At  present  let  us  consider 
those  foreign  productions  which  have  become  so  necessary  to  us,  and 
without  which  we  should  feel  much  inconvenience.  From  such  a 
consideration  useful  reflections  may  arise,  and  we  shall  probably 
regard  with  more  pity  our  unfortunate  brethren  who  are  condemned 
to  slavery,  and  whose  severe  labours  procure  us  so  many  luxuries. 

Sugar  is  found  in  a  certain  reed  which  is  principally  cultivated  in 
Brazil  and  the  neighbouring  islands  ;  and  it  also  abounds  in  the  East 
Indies,  and  some  of  the  African  islands.    The  preparation  of  sugar 


have  been  discovered,  and  for  the  reader's  information  I  have  inserted,  from  Thompson's 
Chemistry,  the  following  more  complete  arrangement. 


I.  Malleable. 


1  Gold 

2  Platinum 

3  Silver 

4  Mercury 
6  Copper 


6  Iron 

7  Tin 

8  Lead 

9  Nickel 
10  Zinc 


II.  Brittle  and  easily 
fused. 

1  Bismuth 

2  Antimony 

3  Tellurium 

4  Arsenic 


III.  Brittle  and  difficultly 
fused. 

1  Cobalt 

2  Manganese 

3  Tungsten 

4  Molybdenum 

5  Uranium 

6  Titanium 

7  Chromium 


334 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


does  not  require  much  art ;  but  it  is  very  laborious,  and  is  chiefly  per- 
formed by  slaves.  When  the  canes  are  ripe,  they  are  cut  down,  and 
carried  to  the  mill  to  be  bruised,  that  the  juice  may  be  extracted  from 
them.  This  juice  is  first  boiled,  by  which  means  it  is  prevented  from 
growing  sour  and  fermenting.  When  it  boils  they  skim  it,  take  off 
all  impurities  ;  and  this  boiling  is  repeated  four  times  in  four  different 
vessels.  Still  further  to  clarify  and  purify  it,  they  throw  into  it  a 
strong  lye  of  wood-ashes  and  quick-lime ;  and  lastly,  they  cast  it  into 
moulds,  that  it  may  coagulate  and  dry. 

Tea  is  the  leaf  of  a  shrub  which  grows  in  Japan,  China,  and  other 
parts  of  Asia.  These  leaves  are  gathered  two  or  three  times  during 
the  spring.  Those  of  the  first  gathering  are  the  finest  and  most  deli- 
cate, and  constitute  what  they  call  imperial  tea ;  but  it  never  comes 
to  Europe,  that  which  the  Dutch  sell  under  that  name  is  only  the 
second  gathering. 

Coffee  is  the  kernel  of  a  fruit  resembling  a  cherry.  The  tree  which 
bears  it  is  a  native  of  Arabia,  but  it  has  been  transplanted  into  many 
warm  countries.  Next  to  Arabia  it  flourishes  best  in  the  island  of 
Martinique.  The  kernel  w^hich  is  found  in  the  middle  of  the  fruit  is 
called  a  berry  ;  when  fresh  it  is  yellowish,  gray,  or  pale  green,  and  it 
preserves  this  colour  when  it  is  dry.  The  fruit  is  spread  on  mats  for 
the  purpose  of  being  dried  in  the  sun  ;  it  is  then  bruised  with  rollers, 
that  the  fruit  may  be  separated  from  the  kernel ;  and  hence  it  is  that 
each  berry  is  divided  into  two  halves.  The  kernel  is  dried  a  second 
time  before  they  are  shipped. 

Cloves  are  the  buds  or  dried  blossoms  of  a  tree  which  formerly 
grew  without  culture  in  the  Molucca  islands ;  but  the  Dutch  have 
since  transplanted  it  to  Amboyna.  The  tree  itself  resembles  the  lau- 
rel in  size  and  form  ;  its  trunk  is  covered  with  bark  like  the  olive-tree. 
White  flowers  grow  from  the  extremity  of  the  branches.  At  first  the 
buds  are  of  a  pale  green,  they  then  become  yellow,  afterwards  red, 
and  at  length  of  a  dark  brown,  such  as  w^e  see  them.  They  have  a 
more  penetrating  aromatic  odour  than  the  mother  clove,  which  is  the 
dry  fruit  of  the  same  tree. 

Cinnamon  is  the  second  or  inner  bark  of  a  species  of  laurel  or  bay- 
tree  which  grows  chiefly  in  the  island  of  Ceylon.  The  root  of  the 
cinnamon  tree  is  divided  into  several  branches,  and  is  covered  exter- 
nally with  a  grayish  bark  ;  but  the  inner  bark  is  red.  The  leaf  would 
resemble  that  of  the  laurel,  if  it  was  shorter  and  less  pointed.  The 
flowers  are  small  and  white,  with  an  agreeable  fragrance  like  that  of 
the  lily.  When  the  tree  has  attained  some  years  growth,  the  bark  is 
stripped  off,  and  the  outer  bark  being  good  for  nothing  is  thrown  away ; 
the  inner  bark  is  dried  in  the  sun  and  rolled  up  in  sticks,  and  is  then 
what  we  call  cinnamon. 

Nutmegs  and  mace  are  the  produce  of  a  tree  which  grows  in  the 
Molucca  islands.  The  nut  is  covered  with  three  rinds ;  the  first  of 
which  falls  off  when  the  nut  is  ripe  ;  and  then  the  second,  which  is 
very  thin  and  fine,  appears ;  this  is  detached  with  much  precaution 
from  the  fresh  nut,  and  exposed  to  the  sun  to  dry.    In  the  Molucca 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


335 


islands  it  is  called  mace,  and  here  it  is  erroneously  termed  the  nut- 
meg blossom.  The  third  bark  immediately  covers  the  nutmeg  itself, 
which  is  taken  out  of  its  shell  and  put  into  lime-water,  where  it 
remains  for  some  days,  and  is  then  sufficiently  prepared  for  expor- 
tation. 

Cotton  grows  in  most  parts  of  Asia,  Africa,  and  America.  It  is 
the  fruit  of  a  kind  of  pod,  which,  when  ripe,  opens  and  presents  a 
flock  of  extremely  white  down,  and  this  is  called  cotton.  When  the 
pod  is  swelled  by  the  heat  it  becomes  as  large  as  an  apple.  By 
means  of  a  little  mill  they  make  the  seed  fall  on  one  side,  and  the 
cotton  on  the  other.    It  is  afterward  spun  for  different  works. 

Olive  oil  is  the  expressed  juice  of  the  fruit  of  the  olive-tree,  which 
is  very  abundant  in  France,  Spain,  Portugal,  and  Italy.  The  inha- 
bitants of  the  countries  where  these  trees  abound  make  use  of  the  oil 
instead  of  butter,  because  the  grass  being  withered  by  the  heat,  they 
are  not  able  to  keep  many  cows. 

Pepper  is  the  fruit  of  a  shrub  whose  stalk  requires  a  prop  to  support 
it.  The  wood  is  knotty  like  the  vine,  to  which  it  bears  a  near  resem- 
blance. The  leaves,  which  have  a  powerful  smell,  are  oval,  and  ter- 
minate in  a  point.  In  the  middle,  and  at  the  extremity  of  the 
branches,  are  white  flowers,  whence  the  fruit  grows  in  bunches,  each 
fruit  bearing  from  twenty  to  thirty  peppercorns. 

It  is  highly  pleasing  to  reflect  upon  the  great  variety  of  aliments 
designed  to  afford  us  plea^re,  as  well  as  support.  The  grateful  mind 
loves  to  consider  those  blessings  which  the  divine  bounty  has  so  abun- 
dantly bestowed  upon  us.  Every  country  contributes  to  our  necessi- 
ties and  comfort :  the  most  distant  climates  yield  us  their  rich  stores, 
and  whilst  we  enjoy  them  at  our  ease,  let  us  not  forget  those  suffering 
and  hard-labouring  people,  who  have  been  torn  from  their  homes,  and 
seen  their  dearest  ties  snapped  asunder,  to  drag  out  a  miserable  exist- 
ence in  providing  for  the  luxuries  of  men,  who  call  themselves  Chris- 
tiana 


SEPTEMBER  XV. 

THE  STRENGTH  OF  MAN  COMPARED  WITH  THAT  OF  ANIMALS. 

Though  the  human  body  appears  to  be  more  delicate  than  that  of 
most  animals,  it  is  yet  much  stronger  in  proportion  to  its  size  than 
that  of  the  most  vigorous  animals.  A  man's  strength  is  best  esti- 
mated by  the  weight  he  is  able  to  carry.  If  it  was  possible  to  unite  a 
single  point,  or  in  a  single  effort,  all  the  strength  that  a  man  exerts 
in  a  day,  it  would  be  found  that  the  weight  he  could  lift  every  day  a 
foot  from  the  ground,  without  injuring  himself,  would  be  equal  to  one 
miUion  seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand  pounds.  Men  ac- 
customed to  hard  labour  can  generally  carry  a  burden  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  or  two  hundred  pounds  weight,  without  much  exertion  ;  and 


336 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


common  porters  often  carry  loads  from  seven  to  eight  hundred  pounds 
weight.  The  size  of  a  man's  body  in  proportion  to  that  of  a  horse  is 
as  one  is  to  six  or  seven  ;  if  then  the  strength  of  the  horse  was  pro- 
portioned to  that  of  a  man,  he  ought  to  be  able  to  carry  a  load  of 
twelve  or  fourteen  thousand  pounds  weight.  But  no  horse  can  carry 
so  much  ;  and  allowing  for  the  difference  of  size,  his  strength  is  only 
equal,  if  not  less  than  that  of  a  man.  A  French  experimentalist  has 
ascertained  the  strength  of  the  human  body,  by  having  a  sort  of  har- 
ness made,  by  means  of  which  he  placed  on  every  point  of  a  man's 
body,  standing  upright,  a  certain  number  of  weights,  in  such  a  man- 
ner, that  each  part  of  the  body  supported  as  much  as  it  could  bear  re- 
latively to  the  rest,  each  having  its  proper  proportion  of  the  load.  By 
means  of  this  machine,  a  man  supported  a  weight  of  two  thousand 
pounds,  without  being  at  all  overloaded. 

We  may  also  judge  of  a  man's  strength  by  the  continuance  of  his 
exercise,  and  the  agility  of  his  motions.  Men  accustomed  to  hunt- 
ing will  outrun  horses,  and  can  continue  the  chase  longer  :  and  even 
in  a  more  moderate  exercise,  a  man  accustomed  to  walking  will  travel 
each  day  farther  than  a  horse  can.  At  Ispahan,  couriers  go  nearly 
thirty  leagues  in  ten  or  twelve  hours.  Travellers  inform  us  that  the 
Hottentots  overtake  lions  in  the  chase,  and  that  the  American  Indians 
pursue  the  elk  with  such  rapidity  that  they  tire  it  and  then  seize  it, 
though  this  animal  is  as  swift  as  the  stag.  Many  other  remarkable 
things  are  related  of  the  fleetness  of  the  Indians,  of  the  long  journeys 
that  they  perform  on  foot,  over  the  most  rugged  mountains,  and 
through  countries  where  there  is  no  track  or  road.  It  is  reported  that 
these  men  perform  journeys  of  a  thousand  or  twelve  hundred  leagues 
in  less  than  six  weeks  or  two  months.  What  other  creature,  except 
birds,  can  undertake  such  long  journeys  1  Man  in  a  state  of  civiliza- 
tion does  not  know  how  much  strength  he  possesses  ;  how  much  he 
loses  by  effeminacy,  nor  how  much  he  can  acquire  by  frequent  exer- 
cise. Sometimes  we  find  men  of  a  very  extraordinary  strength  ;  but 
this  gift  of  nature,  which  would  be  so  valuable  if  they  were  obliged 
to  employ  it  in  self-defence,  or  in  useful  labour,  is  of  little  advantage 
in  a  civilized  state,  where  the  powers  of  the  mind  are  of  much  more 
avail  than  bodily  strength,  and  where  manual  labour  devolves  on  the 
lowest  classes  of  society. 

Here  again  we  may  acknowledge  the  admirable  wisdom  with  which 
God  has  formed  our  bodj^,  and  rendered  it  capable  of  so  much  activity. 
We  carmot  but  regard  with  pity  those  indolent  beings  who  pass  their 
lives  in  idleness  and  effeminacy ;  who  never  exert  their  strength,  nor 
exercise  their  powers,  for  fear  of  injuring  their  health,  or  shortening 
their  lives.  Why  has  the  Almighty  blessed  us  with  strength,  unless 
that  we  may  employ  it  to  some  useful  purpose  1  When,  therefore,  we 
dissipate  it  in  indolence  and  inactivity,  we  oppose  the  will  of  our  Cre- 
ator, and  become  guilty  of  the  basest  ingratitude.  Let  us,  in  future, 
exert  all  our  power  and  apply  our  several  faculties  for  the  good  of  our 
fellow-creatures,  according  to  our  situation  and  circumstances  ;  and, 
.  if  necessity  requires,  let  us  cheerfully  earn  our  bread  by  the  sweat  of 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


337 


our  brow  ;  even  then  our  happiness  is  greater  than  that  of  thousands 
of  our  fellow-men,  who  groan  beneath  the  insufferable  yoke  of  slavery, 
and  who,  when  worn  out  with  labour  and  fatigue,  and  their  strength 
is  exhausted,  have  no  means  of  procuring  ease  and  comfort  for  their 
oppressed  bodies,  nor  soothing  voice  of  kindness  to  cheer  the  sad  rno- 
ments  of  sickness,  or  encourage  their  drooping  soul  ;  hope  is  denied 
them,  and  their  only  consolation  is  the  silence  of  the  grave.  The 
more  happy  we  find  our  lot,  compared  with  these  unfortunate  victims 
of  luxury,  the  more  seriously  ought  we  to  apply  ourselves  to  fulfil 
our  duties ;  and  the  success  of  our  labours  should  induce  us  to  love 
and  to  praise  God,  who  has  vouchsafed  to  grant  us  strength  and 
ability,  and  graciously  continue  to  preserve  them. 


SEPTEMBER  XVI. 

INSTINCT  OF  THE  BUTTERFLY  IN  THE  PROPAGATION  OF  ITS  SPECIES, 

This  is  the  season  of  the  year  when  butterflies  begin  to  disappear 
from  the  creation  ;  but  the  race  is  not  extinct;  they  live  again  in  their 
posterity,  and  by  a  wonderful  instinct  they  provide  for  the  preservation 
of  their  species.  From  the  eggs  which  they  lay,  new  generations 
arise ;  but  where  do  they  place  them  at  the  approach  of  the  rigorous 
season,  and  how  do  they  defend  them  from  the  autumnal  rains,  and 
the  penetrating  frost  of  winter  ?  Are  they  not  in  danger  of  being 
frozen  or  drowned  ? 

That  beneficent  Being,  who  gives  wisdom  to  man,  has  also  conde- 
scended to  instruct  the  butterfly  how  to  secure  the  only  legacy  it  can 
bequeath  to  the  world,  by  covering  its  eggs  with  a  glutinous  sub- 
stance which  is  secreted  by  its  own  body.  This  sort  of  glue  is  so  te- 
nacious, that  rain  cannot  penetrate  through  it,  and  the  ordinary  cold 
of  winter  cannot  destroy  the  young  ones  contained  in  the  eggs.  It 
is  worthy  of  remark  that  though  each  species  always  follows  the  same 
method  from  generation  to  generation,  there  is  still  much  diversity  in 
the  means  which  different  species  take  for  the  preservation  of  their 
race.  Naturalists  have  informed  us,  that  some  of  these  insects  lay 
their  eggs  at  the  beginning  of  autumn,  and  die  soon  after,  whilst  co- 
vering their  tender  young.  The  sun  warms  their  eggs,  and  before 
winter  a  number  of  little  caterpillars  are  hatched  ;  these  immediately 
begin  to  spin,  and  with  their  thread  make  themselves  nests  and  very 
commodious  lodgings,  where  they  pass  the  cold  season,  without  eat- 
ing, and  nearly  without  motion.  It  is  also  remarkable  that  the  butter- 
fly, like  other  insects,  only  lays  its  eggs  upon  those  plants  which  agree 
the  best  with  its  young,  and  where  they  may  find  the  necessary  nou- 
rishment :  so  that  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched  they  are  surrounded 
by  the  aliment  which  is  most  proper  for  them,  without  being  obliged 
to  remove  at  a  time  when  they  are  too  feeble  to  undertake  long 
journeys. 

29  2  S 


338 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


All  these  and  many  more  circumstances  of  a  similar  nature,  are 
calculated  to  make  us  admire  the  wise  arrangements  of  an  all-pre- 
serving Providence.  If  we  do  not  require  miracles,  and  things  con- 
trary to  the  usual  course  of  nature,  to  affect  and  render  us  attentive, 
the  consideration  of  the  cares  which  these  insects  have  for  tlieir  off- 
spring, so  diverse  in  different  species,  but  always  uniform  and  constant 
in  each  individual,  would  fill  us  with  the  greatest  admiration. 

Let  us,  who  are  rational  beings,  learn  from  these  insects  to  cherish 
in  our  hearts  a  love  for  our  children,  and  to  interest  ourselves  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  are  to  succeed  us  on  the  stage  of  life.  Let  not 
the  fear  that  death  may  surprise  us  in  the  midst  of  our  labours  divert 
us  from  forming  great  projects,  or  undertaking  noble  enterprises  ;  re- 
membering that  in  thus  devoting  ourselves  to  the  public  good,  we  only 
repay  to  posterity  the  debt  we  owe  to  our  ancestors.  If  parents  of  chil- 
dren were  to  imitate  the  female  butterfly,  which  provides  for  the  little 
ones  which  survive  her,  they  would  never  leave  their  helpless  children 
in  want,  but  would  place  them  in  such  a  situation,  that  when  the  pa- 
rents cease  to  live,  their  children  should  have  no  other  cause  of  sorrow 
than  the  loss  of  a  kind  father,  or  of  a  tender  mother.  Though  we 
cannot  foresee,  much  less  prevent,  those  misfortunes  and  contingen- 
cies to  w^hich  they  are  liable,  we  ought  certainly  to  take  care  that  their 
future  condition  in  life  is  not  unhappy  by  our  neglect.  Would  to  God 
that  all  parents  were  concerned  as  becomes  them  for  the  future  welfare 
of  their  offspring  ;  that  they  would  not  leave  their  families  in  disorder 
and  confusion  ;  and  that  thay  would  do  well  to  regulate  their  domes- 
tic affairs,  and  that  after  their  death  their  unprotected  children  might 
not  be  exposed  to  vexatious  embarrassments,  nor  witness  their  inherit- 
ances enjoyed  by  strangers,  and  their  property  consumed  by  law-suits! 


SEPTEMBER  XVII. 

THE  VINE. 

To  be  convinced  how  unreasonable  and  absurd  it  is  to  complain  of 
the  inequalities  of  the  earth,  we  need  only  consider  the  nature  of 
vines.  The  vine  never  succeeds  well  in  a  flat  country,  neither  does  it 
thrive  on  every  hill ;  but  only  on  those  which  have  a  south  or  east 
aspect.  The  highest  hills,  and  steeps  where  the  plough  never  reaches, 
are  yearly  covered  with  verdure,  and  produce  the  most  delicious  fruits. 
If  the  soil  which  nourishes  the  vine  appears  poor  and  destitute,  the 
vine-producing  plant  appears  equally  unpromising.  Indeed  had  we 
not  known  it  by  experience,  we  could  scarcely  have  believed  that  a 
seemingly  dry  and  mean  wood  should  produce  such  a  delicious  liquor. 
The  evaporation  from  the  vine  is  so  considerable,  that  one  hundred 
and  fifty-two  inches  of  sap  are  required  to  rise  in  the  space  of  twelve 
hours,  to  supply  the  fluid  which  exhales  through  the  leaves. 

Much  wisdom  is  displayed  in  the  distribution  of  vineyards  over  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


339 


earth.  They  do  not  succeed  ahke  in  all  places  ;  to  thrive  well  they 
should  he  situated  between  the  fortieth  and  fiftieth  degrees  of  latitude, 
consequently  about  the  middle  of  the  globe.  Asia  is  properly  the 
country  of  the  vine,  whence  its  cultivation  has  been  gradually  intro- 
duced into  Europe.  The  Phoenicians,  who  at  a  very  early  period 
traversed  the  coasts  of  the  Mediterranean,  brought  it  to  the  continent 
and  most  of  the  islands.  It  succeeded  remarkably  well  in  the  isles  of 
the  Archipelago,  and  was  at  length  brought  to  Italy,  where  it  multiplied 
considerably;  and  the  Gauls,  who  had  tasted  of  the  grape  juice,  wish- 
ing to  establish  themselves  in  the  country  where  it  was  produced, 
passed  the  Alps,  and  made  themselves  masters  of  both  banks  of  the 
Po.  The  vine  was  soon  afterward  cultivated  throughout  France,  and 
flourished  upon  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  the  Moselle,  the  Necker,  and 
in  different  provinces  of  the  German  empire. 

The  consideration  of  the  vine  may  give  rise  to  some  very  important 
reflections.  As  the  most  barren  soils  are  good  for  the  cultivation  of 
the  vine,  so  it  sometimes  happens  that  the  poorest,  countries  are 
favourable  to  science  and  wisdom.  In  provinces  universally  despised 
for  their  poverty,  men  have  arisen,  the  rays  of  whose  genius  have 
beamed  upon  distant  countries.  There  is  no  place  so  desert,  no  town 
so  small,  or  village  so  miserable,  as  entirely  to  preclude  the  successful 
cultivation  of  science  :  all  that  is  required  for  its  increase  is  encou- 
ragement. What  an  inestimable  blessing  then  we  have  in  our  power 
to  procure,  if  we  only  will  give  ourselves  the  trouble  of  cherishing  the 
virtues  of  the  human  heart,  and  improving  those  mental  powers  which 
we  possess  for  the  noblest  purposes  !  Sovereigns,  pastors,  and  teachers 
of  youth,  how  essentially  might  you  contribute  to  the  happiness  of 
your  fellow-creatures,  and  of  your  remotest  posterity,  if,  by  proper 
exhortations,  rewards,  useful  establishments,  and  adequate  encourage- 
ments, you  endeavoured  to  restore  religion,  science,  and  all  the  social 
virtues,  into  ruined  cities,  and  desolate  villages  !  Efforts  hke  these 
can  never  be  entirely  useless.  If  we  ourselves  do  not  receive  the 
recompense  of  our  labours  in  seeing  them  attended  with  present  suc- 
cess, our  descendants  will  at  least  receive  the  fruit  of  them,  and  we 
shall  be  ranked  among  those  excellent  characters,  who,  by  being  the 
benefactors  of  the  human  race,  have  obtained  the  approbation  of  God 
and  the  benediction  of  their  fellow-creatures. 

The  vine,  with  its  dry  and  shapeless  wood,  is  emblematical  of  those 
men,  who,  destitute  of  the  honours  of  birth,  and  the  splendour  of  rank, 
still  do  much  good.    How  often  it  happens  that  men  born  and  living 
i      in  obscurity,  whose  external  appearance  promises  little,  perform  actions, 
'      and  undertake  enterprises,  which  raise  them  above  all  the  princes  of 
!      the  earth !    And  here  we  may  reflect  with  advantage  upon  Jesus 
j      Christ  himself ;  to  judge  of  whom  from  the  mean  and  abject  state  in 
I     which  he  appeared  when  personally  on  earth,  we  should  not  have 
j     expected  those  great  and  wonderful  works  which  have  made  him  the 
I     Saviour  of  mankind.  He  has  shown  us  that  we  may  be  poor,  despised, 
and  miserable  in  this  world,  and  yet  successfully  labour  for  the  gloiy 
of  God,  and  the  good  of  our  fellow-creatures. 


340 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


SEPTEMBER  XVIIL 

HYMN  TO  CELEBRATE  THE  WORKS  OF  THE  CREATION. 

Praise  ye  the  Lord  !  Let  all  tongues  and  people  celebrate  him  with 
Bongs  of  joy  !  Sing  aloud,  and  exalt  his  power  and  goodness  !  Adore 
him,  ye  nations  ;  prostrate  yourselves  before  him,  ye  islands  !  Praise 
and  glorify  the  supreme  Ruler  of  the  universe  ! 

It  is  he  whose  power  drew  forth  out  of  nothing  the  elements,  the 
heavens,  and  light  itself:  it  is  he  who  separated  the  earth  from  the 
bosom  of  the  waters  ;  and  his  almighty  hand  formed  the  sea,  and  all 
the  innumerable  host  of  creatures  which  live  upon  his  bounty. 

It  is  he  who  has  given  light  and  heat  to  the  sun  ;  who  has  pre- 
scribed laws  to  the  moon ;  who  has  marked  out  to  the  stars  their 
course  ;  and  who  flashes  in  the  lightning,  and  speaks  in  the  thunder  ! 
It  is  he  who  bids  the  tempest  roar  ;  and  the  strength  of  the  lion,  and 
delicate  structure  of  the  insect,  are  monuments  of  his  power.  To 
gladden  the  hearts  of  men,  he  has  taught  the  nightingale  to  warble 
her  melodious  strains ;  he  gives  to  the  flowers  their  fragrance  ;  he 
balances  and  puts  in  motion  the  air ;  he  calls  forth  the  winds  and 
directs  their  course.  The  sea  at  his  powerful  word  swells  in  billows, 
and  again  subsides  at  his  command  ;  for  God  reigns  in  the  bosom  of 
the  deep.  Let  us  then  bow  down  before  and  adore  the  Supreme 
Being,  whose  grandeur  is  manifest  in  all  his  creatures,  and  the  traces 
of  whose  infinite  power  the  whole  creation  declares. 


SEPTEMBER  XIX. 

WONDERS  WHICH  GOD  DAILY  EFFECTS  IN  THE  CREATION. 

The  whok  universe,  which  continually  preserves  that  beauty  and 
order  in  which  it  was  first  established,  is  a  miracle  constantly  before 
us.  How  astonishing  is  the  world  which  we  inhabit !  How  immense 
is  the  number,  grandeur,  variety,  and  beauty,  of  the  creatures  which 
it  contains  !  What  other  arm  than  that  of  the  omnipotent  God  could 
liave  placed  in  the  immense  expanse  of  the  heavens  the  sun  and  all 
those  stars,  whose  prodigious  size  and  distance  fill  our  minds  with 
astonishment?  Who  but  God  has  prescribed  to  them  the  spheres  in 
which  they  have  revolved  for  thousands  of  years'?  Who  else  has 
determined  with  such  skill  the  respective  power  of  all  these  globes ; 
and  estabhshed  a  perfect  balance  between  them  and  the  ether  in 
which  they  are  suspended  1  Who  has  placed  the  earth  at  such  a  just 
distance  from  the  sun,  that  the  space  between  them  is  neither  too 
great  nor  too  small  ? 

The  alternation  of  day  and  night ;  the  revolutions  of  the  seasons ; 
the  innumerable  multitude  of  animals,  of  reptiles,  of  trees,  of  plants, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


341 


and  of  all  the  different  productions  of  the  earth,  are  the  works  of  the 
Almighty  God.  His  particular  and  especial  providence  is  a  continual 
proof  of  his  greatness,  wisdom,  and  omnipresence.  His  constant  cares 
for  us,  and  that  marked  protection,  instances  of  which  almost  every 
person  has  met  with  ;  the  various  rneans  he  employs  to  attract  men  to 
his  service  ;  the  ways  by  which  he  leads  them  to  happiness  ;  the 
misfortunes  which  he  tries  them  with,  to  awaken  them  and  bring 
them  to  a  sense  of  their  situation;  the  extraordinary  events  which  he 
orders  for  the  good  of  his  empire  ;  events  w^hich  are  commonly  pro- 
duced by  slight  causes,  and  in  circumstances  which  seem  to  render 
them  impossible  ;  the  great  revolutions  which  he  effects,  to  make  his 
holy  truth  and  the  knowledge  of  himself  pass  from  one  country  of  the 
earth  to  another ;  are  all  so  many  effects,  in  which  we  ought  to 
acknowledge  his  constantly  acting  power,  and  which,  if  we  were  suffi- 
ciently attentive,  would  make  us  say  with  the  Psalmist,  *  This  is  the 
Lord's  doing;  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.' 

Let  us  be  attentive  to  what  passes  before  us,  and  we  shall  every 
where  discover  the  traces  of  a  God  ;  we  shall  see  that  by  the  ordinary 
means  of  his  grace,  he  continually  works  for  our  sanctification  ;  that 
his  divine  word  continually  dwells  among  us,  and  that  his  saving 
voice  may  be  continually  heard.  Surely  those  who  refuse  to  listen 
unto  him,  who  resist  the  impulse  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  and  who  do  not 
yield  to  his  merciful  visitations,  would  not  be  converted  though  new^ 
miracles  were  wrought  in  their  sight.  Ought  not  man,  who  sees  that 
God  has  created  the  world,  which  every  where  presents  to  him  so 
many  wonders ;  man  who  is  constantly  receiving  the  blessings  of 
heaven,  and  who  owes  to  God  all  the  advantages  which  he  enjoys, 
ought  he  not  to  believe,  to  love,  and  to  obey  him  ?  Yet  he  resists. 
What  then  can  affect  him,  or  whom  will  he  not  oppose  1 

Let  us  then,  who  daily  witness  the  wonders  of  our  God,  pay  atten- 
tion to  them,  and  no  longer  harden  our  hearts  against  truth.  Let  not 
prejudice  or  passion  prevent  us  from  reflecting  upon  the  admirable 
works  of  God.  Let  us  contemplate  the  visible  world,  and  reflect  upon 
ourselves,  and  we  shall  find  sufficient  cause  to  acknowledge  him  who 
daily  works  miracles  before  us ;  our  souls  possessed  with  these  grand 
ideas,  we  shall  cry  out  with  rapture  and  admiration,  *  Praise,  honour, 
and  glory  be  ascribed  unto  God,  the  author  of  all  good  and  the 
redeemer  of  our  souls ;  who  alone  performeth  w^onders,  and  who  visiteth 
the  heart  of  man  with  comfort  and  sweet  consolation  ;  who  poureth 
balm  into  our  wounds,  supports  us  in  affliction,  and  wipes  the  tear 
from  every  eye  ;  unto  that  God  of  all  mercy  be  rendered  love,  grati- 
tude, and  adoration  for  ever  and  ever,  through  the  countless  ages  of 
eternity 


Ä9* 


342 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


SEPTEMBER  XX. 

DIGESTION  OF  FOOD. 

Digestion  is  an  admirable  and  complicated  process,  which  we  daily 
perform  without  knowing  how,  and  even  without  giving  ourselves  the 
trouble  of  learning  what  is  most  remarkable  and  essential  in  a  func- 
tion so  hnportant  to  the  human  body.  It  is  well  for  us  that  digestion 
may  be  carried  on,  though  we  are  ignorant  how  it  is  performed  ;  but 
it  is  always  preferable  to  be  acquainted  with  the  process,  and  to  have 
some  knowledge  of  the  operations  of  nature  in  this  respect. 

When  the  food  has  been  sufficiently  masticated,  and  divided  by  the 
teeth  into  small  portions,  and  moistened  by  the  saliva,  it  is  prepared 
to  pass  into  the  throat.  This  is  the  last  function  relative  to  digestion, 
in  which  the  will  assists  ;  all  the  rest  is  done  without  our  being  con- 
scious of  it,  and  without  our  being  able  to  prevent  the  process  going 
forward.  As  soon  as  a  portion  of  food  enters  the  throat,  it  pushes  the 
mass  onward,  and  causes  it  to  descend  into  the  stomach  by  a  peculiar 
mechanism,  for  the  gravity  of  the  food  alone  would  not  be  sufficient. 
Having  entered  the  stomach,  the  food  is  there  reduced  into  a  soft  paste 
of  a  gray  colour,  which,  after  being  sufficiently  attenuated,  passes  into 
the  duodenum,  or  first  intestine,  where  it  undergoes  new  changes. 
Several  small  vessels  which  proceed  from  the  gall-bladder,  and  from 
a  gland  situated  behind  the  bottom  of  the  stomach,  and  called  the 
pancreas,  open  into  the  duodenum,  and  pour  into  it  the  bile  and  the 
pancreatic  juice,  which  mingle  with  the  food.  There  are  also  in  the 
intestines  a  great  number  of  glands,  which  distribute  their  humours 
through  every  part  of  the  alimentary  mass.  It  is  after  this  mixture, 
that  true  chyle  is  discovered,  and  there  is  great  reason  to  believe  that 
it  is  in  the  duodenum  that  digestion  is  completed. 

The  alimentary  mass  continues  its  course  through  the  other  intes- 
tines, where  it  is  continually  moistened  by  the  fluids  which  are 
secreted  in  the  intestinal  canal.  The  chyle  then  begins  to  pass  into 
the  lacteal  veins,  which  every  where  open  into  the  intestines,  and 
terminate  in  a  vessel  called  the  receptacle  of  the  chyle,  which  is  situ- 
ated near  that  part  of  the  back  where  the  first  lumbar  vertebra  begins, 
and  from  it  the  thoracic  duct  rises,  and  ascends  upwards  through  the 
chest,  passing  along  by  the  side  of  the  spine,  and  opens  into  the  left 
subclavian  vein  near  the  internal  jugular.  The  chyle  then  passes 
through  this  canal,  and  at  length  mixes  with  the  blood,  enters  the 
heart,  and  having  lost  its  white  appearance,  is  distributed  through  all 
the  arteries  of  the  body. 

But  there  are  always  some  parts  of  our  aliment  that  are  too  gross  to 
be  converted  into  chyle,  or  to  enter  into  the  lacteal  vessels.  These 
are  propelled  downwards  by  a  motion  peculiar  to  the  intestines,  called 
the  peristaltic  or  vermicular  motion,  by  means  of  which  they  are 
alternately  contracted  and  dilated.  When  this  motion  has  caused  the 
mass  of  food  to  advance  as  far  as  the  third  intestine,  it  propels  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


343 


remainder  through  the  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth ;  which  last  is  called 
the  rectum,  and  is  provided  with  a  strong-,  circular  muscle,  the 
sphincter,  which  contracts,  and  prevents  the  residuum  continually- 
passing  through  the  rectum  ;  thus  retarded,  it  remains  till  the  quan- 
tity is  so  considerable  as  to  occasion  irritation,  and  is  then  finally 
evacuated.  In  this  operation  the  muscles  of  the  abdomen  and  the 
diaphragm  assisting  the  action  of  the  rectum,  the  contracting  power 
of  the  sphincter  is  overcome.  From  the  above  slight  sketch  of  the 
manner  in  which  digestion  is  performed,  we  may  obtain  some  ideaot 
the  great  wisdom  which  God  has  displayed  in  a  function  so  essential 
and  important  to  our  health,  our  comfort,  and  our  very  existence  ;  we 
should  be  highly  culpable  indeed  if  we  were  inattentive  to  it ;  and  it 
these  wonders  excited  in  our  hearts  no  gratitude  towards  tlie  author 
of  so  many  blessings  which  we  are  continually  enjoying. 


SEPTEMBER  XXI. 

THE  PREVALENCE  OF  GOOD  IN  THE  WORLD  GREATER  THAN  THAT 

OF  EVIL. 

Nothing  is  more  consoling  in  our  trials  and  misfortunes  than  to 
admit,  as  a  fixed  principle,  that  there  is  more  good  than  evil  in  the 
world.  If  we  ask  the  most  wretched  of  men  whether  he  can  enu- 
merate as  many  causes  of  complaint  as  he  has  motives  for  gratitude, 
he  will  make  it  appear  that,  however  great  are  his  afflictions,  they  do 
not  equal  the  numerous  blessings  he  has  received  in  the  course  of  his 
life.  To  render  this  truth  more  evident,  let  us  calculate  how  many 
days  we  have  passed  in  the  enjoyment  of  health,  and  how  few  in  which 
we  have  suffered  from  illness.  Let  us  oppose  to  the  small  number  of 
troubles  and  vexations  which  we  experience  in  civil  and  domestic  life, 
the  numerous  pleasures  which  we  enjoy.  Let  vis  compare  all  the 
good  and  virtuous  actions  by  which  men  are  useful  to  themselves  and 
to  their  fellow-creatures,  with  the  few  actions  they  commit  that  are 
prejudicial  to  society.  Let  us  enumerate,  if  we  can,  all  the  pleasures 
attached  to  every  age,  state,  and  profession  ;  the  gifts  which  nature 
abundantly  bestows  upon  us,  and  which  human  industry  uses  to  pro- 
cure an  infinite  number  of  enjoyments  and  conveniences.  Let  us 
reckon  all  the  delight  we  receive  upon  escaping  a  sudden  danger, 
upon  gaining  a  victory  over  ourselves,  and  upon  perfoiming  some  act 
of  virtue  or  wisdom  ;  and  let  us  remember  that  it  is  the  prevalence  of 
good  that  renders  us  so  sensible  of  evil ;  that  recent  prosperity  makes 
us  forget  former  blessings  ;  and  that  if  our  misfortunes  make  so  deep 
an  impression  upon  our  memory,  it  is  because  they  seldom  happen, 
and  we  are  not  familiar  with  them.  In  this  calculation,  we  must  only 
oppose  to  the  blessings,  the  fruition  of  which  we  recollect,  those  evils 
whose  utility  we  do  not  yet  know  ;  for  out  of  some  evils  great  good  is 
derived :  if  then  we  make  this  estimation  in  the  moments  of  coolness 


344 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


and  of  serenity,  and  not  at  a  time  when  we  suffer  from  affliction,  vexa- 
tion, disappointment,  or  disease,  we  shall  be  sufficiently  convinced, 
that  the  prevalence  of  good,  even  in  this  state  of  existence,  is  much 
greater  than  that  of  evil. 

Why  then  do  men  concern  themselves  so  little  with  the  continual 
proofs  they  receive  of  God's  goodness  ?  Why  do  they  love  to  dwell 
upon  the  dark  side  of  things,  and  to  torment  themselves  with  unne- 
cessary cares  and  anxieties  ?  Has  not  divine  Providence  surrounded 
us  with  pleasing  objects  ]  Why  then  do  we  for  ever  brood  over  our 
infirmities,  our  wants,  and  the  evils  which  may  happen  to  us  ?  Why 
magnify  them  in  our  imagination,  and  obstinately  turn  our  eyes  from 
all  that  tends  to  cheer  and  tranquillize  our  hearts  ?  But  such  is  our 
disposition,  the  least  misfortune  that  befalls  us  arrests  all  our  attention, 
whilst  a  long  continuance  of  happy  days  passes  unnoticed.  We  draw 
upon  us  distress  and  vexation,  which  could  not  have  happened  if  we 
were  more  attentive  to  the  blessings  of  God.  Let  us  then  in  future 
abandon  a  disposition  like  this,  which  only  renders  us  miserable  ;  let 
us  feel  a  strong  conviction  that  God  has  impartially  distributed  hia 
blessings  over  the  earth,  and  that  there  is  no  man  who  has  just  cause 
to  complain,  or  who  has  not  on  the  contrary  the  most  powerful  and 
abundant  reasons  to  express  his  gratitude  in  songs  of  joy,  thanksgiv- 
ing, and  praise. 

Blessed  be  God,  who  is  our  sovereign  good  !  He  pours  joy  and 
gladness  into  our  hearts :  if  he  sometimes  tries  his  children  with 
affliction,  his  consolations  soon  visit  their  desponding  souls  ;  and  his 
goodness  promises  them  an  uninterrupted,  endless  felicity.  He  leads 
us  through  secret  and  unknown  paths  to  the  infinite  blessings  he  de- 
signs for  us  ;  the  very  trials  which  he  sometimes  sends  have  a  bene- 
ficent purpose  to  accomplish,  and  which  we  shall  one  day  know  and 
acknowledge  ;  till  when  he  spares  us  from  suffering  more  than  we 
can  bear,  and  his  all-powerful  and  paternal  hand  still  protects  us,  and 
the  eye  of  his  mercy  watches  over  us  for  our  good  and  eternal  pre- 
servation. 


SEPTEMBER  XXH. 

ENMITY  BETWEEN  ANIMALS. 

There  is  a  continual  enmity  among  animals ;  they  are  constantly 
attacking  and  pursuing  each  other  :  every  element  is  a  field  of  battle 
for  them  ;  the  eagle  is  the  terror  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  air ;  the 
tiger  lives  upon  the  earth  by  carnage  ;  the  pike  in  the  waters ;  and 
the  mole  under  ground.  It  is  the  want  of  food  which  induces  these, 
and  many  other  species  of  animals,  to  destroy  one  another.  But 
there  are  some  creatures  whose  hatred  of  each  other  does  not  proceed 
from  the  same  source.  Thus  those  animals  which  entwine  them- 
eelves  round  the  elephant's  trunk,  and  press  it  till  they  have  suffocated 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


845 


him,  do  not  act  so  with  tlie  design  of  procuring  nourishment.  When 
the  ermine  leaps  upon,  and  lays  hold  of,  the  ear  of  the  bear  and  the 
elk,  and  bites  them  with  his  sharp  teeth,  we  cannot  affirm  that  thia 
is  done  to  satisfy  the  calls  of  hunger. 

There  is  scarcely  any  creature,  however  small,  which  does  not 
serve  for  food  to  some  other  animal.  I  know  that  many  people  think 
this  arrangement  of  nature  is  cruel  and  unnecessary  ;  but  I  can  with 
confidence  assert,  that  even  this  antipathy  and  enmity  among  ani- 
mals, is  a  proof  that  every  thing  is  wisely  ordered.  If  we  consider 
animals  in  the  whole,  we  shall  find  that  it  is  highly  useful  that  some 
should  subsist  upon  others  ;  for  on  the  one  hand,  without  this  arrange- 
ment many  species  could  not  exist ;  and  on  the  other,  these  numer- 
ous species,  instead  of  being  prejudicial,  are  extremely  useful.  In- 
sects and  many  reptiles  feed  on  carrion  ;  others  establish  themselves 
in  the  bodies  of  certain  animals,  and  hve  upon  their  flesh  and  blood  ; 
and  these  insects  themselves  serve  as  food  for  other  creatures.  Car- 
nivorous animals  and  birds  of  prey  kill  and  feed  upon  other  animals. 
Some  species  multiply  so  abundantly,  that  they  would  become  bur- 
densome if  their  numbers  were  not  diminished.  If  there  were  no 
sparrows  to  destroy  insects,  what  would  become  of  the  flowers  and 
fruits  ?  Without  the  ichneumon,  which  seeks  out  and  destroys  the 
crocodile's  eggs,  this  terrible  animal  would  increase  to  an  alarming 
degree.  A  great  portion  of  the  earth  would  be  desert,  and  many 
creatures  would  not  exist,  if  there  were  no  carnivorous  animals.  It 
will  perhaps  be  urged  that  they  might  Hve  upon  vegetables  ;  but  if 
this  were  the  case,  our  fields  would  scarcely  afford  subsistence  for 
sparrows  and  swallows ;  and  the  structure  of  carnivorous  animals 
must  have  been  quite  diflferent  from  what  it  now  is  ;  and  if  fish  did  not 
live  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  water,  how  would  they  be  able  to 
subsist  ?  Besides,  if  the  wars  among  animals  were  to  cease,  they 
would  lose  much  of  their  vivacity  and  industry,  the  creation  would 
be  less  animated,  and  man  himself  would  lose  much  of  his  activity. 
We  may  also  add,  that  we  shoiild  be  deprived  of  many  striking  proofs 
of  God's  wisdom,  if  universal  peace  was  to  prevail  among  animals  ; 
for  the  address,  sagacity,  and  wonderful  instinct  which  they  use  in 
laying  snares  for  and  surprising  their  prey,  very  evidently  manifest 
the  wisdom  of  the  Creator. 

So  far  then  is  the  enmity  which  exists  among  animals  from  dark- 
ening the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God,  that  they  receive  additional 
briUiancy  from  what  superficial  observers  think  an  imperfection.  It 
forms  part  of  the  plan  of  the  great  system  of  nature,  that  one  animal 
should  persecute  and  feed  upon  another.  We  might  indeed  complain 
of  this  arrangement,  if  it  occasioned  the  entire  destruction  of  any 
species ;  but  this  never  happens,  and  the  continual  wars  among  ani- 
mals preserve  a  proper  balance  between  them.  Thus  carnivorous  ani- 
mals are  indispensable  Unks  in  the  chain  of  beings  ;  and  on  this  ac- 
count their  number  is  very  small,  compared  with  that  of  useful  ani- 
mals. We  may  also  remark  that  the  strongest  and  fiercest  animals 
have  commonly  the  least  sense  and  cunning.    They  either  mutually 


346 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


destroy  each  other,  or  their  young  ones  serve  as  food  for  other  beasts. 
Hence  also  nature  has  granted  to  the  weakest  species  so  much  indus- 
try and  means  of  defence.  They  possess  instinct,  acutenessof  sense, 
quickness,  skill,  and  sagacity,  sufficient  to  counterbalance  the  strength 
of  their  enemies. 

Can  any  one  then  behold  this  without  acknowledging  the  infinite 
wisdom  of  the  Creator,  and  confessing  that  this  state  of  warfare, 
which  at  first  seems  so  strange,  is  in  fact  a  real  good  ?  We  should  be 
still  more  convinced  of  it,  if  we  were  better  acquainted  with  the  whole 
system  of  things,  and  the  relations  and  connexions  which  different 
creatures  have  with  each  other ;  but  this  is  a  degree  of  knowledge 
reserved  for  a  future  state,  where  the  divine  perfections  will  be  mani- 
fested in  infinite  splendour.  We  may,  however,  in  some  measure, 
even  in  this  world,  comprehend  why  these  hostilities  among  animals 
are  necessary ;  but  we  can  by  no  means  conceive  why  men,  whose 
nature  is  so  much  more  noble,  should  be  continually  fomenting  wars 
and  divisions  so  destructive  to  their  race.  To  the  disgrace  of  huma- 
nity, and  the  eternal  reproach  of  the  Christian  religion,  men  pursue 
wars,  and  destroy  each  other  with  more  savage  barbarity  than  the 
wildest  beasts  that  range  the  forests ;  than  which,  nothing  is  more 
opposite  to  the  great  ends  for  which  they  were  created.  Surely  man 
was  designed  to  render  himself  useful  to  his  fellow-creatures,  to  con- 
tribute all  in  his  power  to  their  comfort  and  happiness  ;  to  be  the 
defender  of  the  helpless,  the  benefactor  of  the  poor,  and  the  friend  of 
the  afflicted  and  unfortunate.  Let  us  not  counteract  these  merciful 
designs  of  our  blessed  Lord,  but  endeavour  to  live  in  that  peace  and 
harmony  which  becomes  the  children  of  God,  and  followers  of  an 
humble  and  crucified  Saviour;  leaving  animals  which  are  destitute 
of  reason  to  quarrel,  fight,  persecute,  and  destroy  one  another  ;  whilst 
we  live  in  charity  with  all  men,  doing  good  unto  others,  as  we  would 
that  they  should  do  unto  us. 


SEPTEMBER  XXIIL 

MORAL  USES  OF  NIGHT. 

At  this  time  of  the  year,  when  the  days  begin  to  grow  shorter, 
and  the  nights  to  lengthen,  many  people  are  discontented  with  the 
change.  Some  wish  that  there  was  no  night  at  all,  or  that  at  least 
throughout  the  year  the  nights  were  never  longer  than  they  are  in 
the  months  of  June  and  July.  But  such  wishes  are  the  offspring  of 
folly  and  presumption,  and  betray  the  greatest  ignorance  ;  for  if  men 
reflected  upon  the  advantages  which  result  from  the  alternation  of 
the  day  and  night,  they  would  not  thus  show  their  want  of  judg- 
ment, nor  make  such  ill-founded  complaints,  but  would  rather  bless 
God  for  the  benefits  they  receive  from  the  night.  We  feel  the  moral 
utility  of  night  in  its  interrupting  the  course  of  many  vices.  During 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


347 


the  hours  of  darkness  the  wicked  are  obhged  to  repose,  and  oppressed 
virtue  gains  some  moments  of  relief  and  cessation  from  misery ;  the 
unjust  and  fraudulent  merchant  ceases  to  cheat  his  neighbour,  and  a 
thousand  evils  are  interrupted  in  their  progress. 

If  there  was  no  night,  how  much  pleasure  and  instruction  we 
should  lose  !  The  wonders  of  the  creation  manifested  in  the  starry- 
heavens  would  be  lost  to  us.  We  now  every  night  can  contemplate 
the  grandeur  of  God  displayed  in  the  stars,  whilst  we  raise  our  souls 
towards  him  in  liumble  and  reverent  gratitude.  If  then  every  occa- 
sion which  recalls  God  to  our  minds  is  precious,  how  much  ought  we 
to  value  the  season  of  night,  which  so  powerfully  declares  the  perfec- 
tions of  God  ! 

Night  is  a  time  which  is  well  adapted  for  meditation  and  reflection. 
The  tumult  and  dissipation  of  the  day  leave  but  little  leisure  for  self- 
examination  ;  and  afford  little  opportunity  of  detaching  our  affections 
from  the  earth,  and  of  seriously  occupying  ourselves  with  considering 
the  duties  of  our  station,  and  the  end  for  which  we  were  created.  To 
these  salutary  meditations  the  stillness  of  the  night  is  peculiarly 
adapted  :  we  may  then  commune  with  our  hearts  without  interrup- 
tion, and  acquire  the  important  science  of  knowing  ourselves.  The 
soul  will  then  collect  all  her  powervS,  and  direct  them  towards  those 
subjects  which  concern  our  eternal  happiness.  In  those  moments  of 
peace  and  tranquillity  we  may  purify  our  hearts  from  the  contagion 
of  the  world,  and  strengthen  our  minds  against  the  temptation  and 
alluring  examples  of  those  who  float  down  the  stream  of  pleasure. 
We  may  then  reflect  upon  death,  and  meditate  upon  futurity  :  the 
calm  solitude  of  our  closets  is  favourable  to  religious  thoughts,  and 
our  souls  become  more  and  more  desirous  of  virtue.  Let  us  then, 
instead  of  repining  at  the  vicissitudes  of  light  and  darkness,  be  thank- 
ful for  them  ;  and  every  night,  before  we  lie  down  to  sleep,  let  us  bless 
the  season  in  which  we  have  become  better  acquainted  with  our  own 
nature,  the  glory  of  God,  and  those  things  which  concern  our  salva* 
tion  and  eternal  peace. 


SEPTEMBER  XXIV. 

OF  man's  indifference  for  the  works  op  nature. 

Whence  is  it  that  men  in  general  are  so  indifferent  about  the  works 
of  God  in  nature  1  The  consideration  of  this  question  may  give  rise 
to  various  important  reflections.  One  great  cause  of  this  indiflference 
is  an  habitual  inattention.  We  are  so  accustomed  to  the  beauties  of 
nature,  that  we  neglect  to  admire  the  wisdom  which  stamps  them  all ; 
and  we  are  not  sufficiently  grateful  for  the  numerous  advantages 
which  we  derive  from  them.  There  are  too  many  people  who  resem- 
ble the  stupid  beast  which  feeds  upon  the  grass  of  the  meadow,  and 
quenches  his  thirst  in  the  stream,  without  acknowledging  the  wisdom 


348 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


of  him  from  whom  these  benefits  proceed.  Some  men,  even  though 
endowed  with  the  brightest  faculties,  and  hence  enjoying  a  greater 
share  of  the  blessings  of  nature,  never  think  of  the  source  whence  they 
all  flow  :  and  even  when  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  are  most 
strikingly  manifest,  they  are  not  affected  by  them,  because  they  are 
so  frequent.  Thus  what  ought  chiefly  to  excite  men's  admiration  and 
gratitude  renders  them  indiflferent  and  insensible.  Many  people  are 
also  regardless  of  the  beauties  of  nature  through  ignorance.  How 
many  are  there  entirely  unacquanted  with  the  most  ordinary  phe- 
nomena !  They  daily  see  the  sun  rise  and  set;  their  fields  are  watered 
with  rain  and  dew,  and  sometimes  with  snow  ;  every  spring  unfolds 
the  most  wonderful  changes;  but  they  had  rather  live  in  the  pro- 
foundest  ignorance  than  give  themselves  the  trouble  of  inquiring  into 
the  causes  and  effects  of  these  phenomena.  It  is  true  that  many  things 
will  always  be  incomprehensible  to  us,  with  whatever  care  w^e  study, 
and  the  limits  of  our  understanding  are  never  sooner  felt  than  when 
we  attempt  to  fathom  the  operations  of  nature.  We  may  however 
acquire  an  historical  knowledge  of  them,  and  the  meanest  labourer 
may  be  made  to  comprehend  how  it  happens  that  the  grain  which  he 
sows  in  his  fields  buds,  and  shoots  up  into  a  plant. 

Other  men,  again,  neglect  the  works  of  nature,  because  they  are 
too  much  occupied  with  their  own  particular  interests.  I  have  little 
doubt  that  if  spiders  spun  threads  of  gold,  if  lobsters  contained  pearls, 
and  if  the  flowers  of  the  fields  converted  the  decrepitude  of  age  into  the 
vigour  of  youth,  there  would  be  many  more  attentive  observers  of 
nature  than  there  now  are.  We  are  too  apt  to  estimate  things  only 
as  they  affect  our  interest  and  our  fancy  :  those  objects  which  do  not 
immediately  satisfy  our  inordinate  desires  are  deemed  unw^orthy  of 
our  attention,  and  our  self  love  is  so  unreasonable,  and  we  so  little 
know  our  real  interest,  that  w^e  despise  what  is  most  useful  to  us. 
Thus  corn  is  one  of  the  plants  most  indispensably  necessary  to  our 
support,  and  yet  we  see  whole  fields  weaving  with  this  useful  produc- 
tion of  nature,  without  paying  any  attention  to  it. 

Many  people  disregard  the  works  of  nature  out  of  mere  indolence. 
They  love  too  well  their  ease  and  repose  to  curtail  their  sleep  a  few 
minutes  whilst  they  may  contemplate  the  starry  heavens  ;  they  have 
not  resolution  to  quit  their  beds  in  a  morning  early  enough  to  behold 
the  rising  sun  ;  they  fear  it  would  fatigue  them  too  much  if  they 
stooped  to  the  ground  to  observe  the  structure  of  a  blade  of  grass;  and 
yet  these  very  people,  who  are  so  fond  of  their  ease  and  conveniencCj 
are  full  of  eagerness  and  activity  in  the  gratification  of  their  passions. 

Others  neglect  the  works  of  God  in  nature  from  irreligious  motives; 
they  do  not  desire  to  know  the  greatness  of  God,  and  have  no  inchna- 
tion  for  virtue,  nor  the  duties  which  it  prescribes.  To  love  and  to 
praise  God,  and  to  be  grateful  for  his  blessings,  would  be  to  these  men 
duties  painful  and  disagreeable.  We  have  too  much  reason  to  believe 
that  this  is  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  some  men's  disregard  for  the 
works  of  God.  If  they  prized  the  knowledge  of  God  above  all  other 
things,  they  would  eagerly  seize,  and  cherish  with  pleasure,  every 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


S49 


opportunity  of  strengthening  that  knowledge,  and  of  perfecting  their 
love  of  their  heavenly  Creator. 

At  least  two-thirds  of  mankind  may  be  ranked  in  one  or  other  of 
the  classes  which  we  have  just  pointed  out ;  for  there  are  very  few- 
people  who  properly  study  the  works  of  God,  and  who  love  to  dwell 
upon  them.  This  is  a  truth,  the  mournful  certainty  of  which  is  daily 
confirmed.  Would  to  God  that  men  would  at  length  be  convinced 
how  it  becomes  them  to  be  so  insensible  and  inattentive  to  the  works 
of  the  Creator,  and  how  by  such  a  conduct  they  degrade  themselves 
below  the  very  brutes  !  Have  we  eyes,  and  shall  we  not  contemplate 
the  wonders  that  every  where  surround  us  1  Have  we  ears,  and  shall 
we  not  hearken  to  the  glad  songs  which  make  the  heavens  resound 
with  the  praises  of  the  Creator  1  Do  we  wish  to  contemplate  God  in 
the  world  to  come,  and  yet  refuse  to  consider  his  works  in  which  he 
shines  so  conspicuously  in  the  garden  of  nature  1  Let  us  henceforth 
renounce  this  culpable  indifference,  and  endeavour  to  feel  a  portion  of 
that  joy  which  formerly  penetrated  the  heart  of  David,  when  he 
reflected  on  the  works,  the  glory,  and  the  magnificence  of  his  God. 


SEPTEMBER  XXV. 

OF  SEVERAL  NOCTURNAL  METEORS. 

In  serene  weather,  w^hen  the  sky  is  clear,  we  sometimes  observe  a 
circular  light,  or  luminous  ring  surrounding  the  moon,  and  which  is 
called  a  halo  or  crown.  Its  outline  frequently  exhibits,  though  faintly,, 
the  colours  of  the  rainbow.  The  moon  is  in  the  centre  of  this  ring, 
and  the  intermediate  space  is  generally  darker  than  the  rest  of  the 
sky.  When  the  moon  is  at  the  full,  and  considerably  elevated  above 
the  horizon,  the  ring  appears  most  luminous.  It  is  often  very  large. 
We  are  not  to  suppose  that  this  circle  really  surrounds  the  moon  ;  the 
true  cause  of  such  an  appearance  must  be  looked  for  in  our  atmo- 
sphere, the  vapours  of  which  cause  a  refraction  of  the  rays  of  light 
which  penetrate  them,  and  produce  this  effect. 

False  moons,  called  paraselenes,  or  mock  moons,  are  sometimes 
seen  near  the  real  moon,  and  appear  as  large,  but  their  light  is  paler. 
They  are  generally  accompanied  by  circles,  some  of  which  have  the 
same  colours  as  the  rainbow,  whilst  others  are  white,  and  others  have 
long  luminous  tails.  All  these  appearances  are  produced  by  refrac- 
tion. The  rays  of  light  falling  from  the  moon  upon  aqueous  and 
sometimes  frozen  vapours,  are  refracted  in  various  ways ;  the  coloured 
rays  are  separated,  and  reaching  the  eye  double  the  image  of  the 
moon.  A  very  rare  appearance  is  sometimes  observed  ;  we  see  by 
moonhght,  after  heavy  rain,  a  lunar  rainbow,  which  has  the  same 
colours  as  the  solar  rainbow,  but  much  fainter ;  this  meteor  is  also 
occasioned  by  the  refraction  of  the  rays  of  light. 

When  sulphurous  and  other  vapours  take  üie  in  the  superior  part 

30 


350 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


of  the  atmosphere,  we  often  see  streaks  of  hght  rapidly  darting  like 
rockets.  When  these  vapours  unite  together  in  one  mass,  and  becom- 
ing ignited  fall  down,  we  seem  to  perceive  little  balls  of  fire  fall  from 
the  sky  ;  and  as,  from  their  distance,  they  appear  to  be  about  the  size 
of  stars,  they  are  often  called  falling  stars,  and  many  people  imagine 
they  are  real  stars,  which  change  their  places  or  are  dissipated.  Some- 
times these  supposed  stars,  very  brilliant,  and  splendidly  coloured, 
slowly  descend,  acquiring  new  lustre,  till  at  length  they  are  extin- 
guished in  the  lower  atmosphere.  Large  balls  of  fire  have  sometimes 
been  seen  more  resplendent  than  the  full  moon,  and  some  of  them 
with  long  luminous  tails.  It  is  very  probable  that  these  are  sulphur- 
ous and  nitrous  vapours,  which  have  accumulated  and  become  ignited ; 
they  generally  pass  through  the  air  with  great  rapidity,  and  then  burst 
with  a  loud  report.  Sometimes,  when  the  inflammable  particles  of 
which  they  are  composed  are  of  a  different  nature,  they  disperse  with- 
out noise  in  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere.  The  little  flashes 
which  we  often  may  observe  in  the  summer  evenings  after  intense 
heat,  are  produced  by  the  vapours  of  the  atmosphere ;  and  are  less 
visible,  because  they  are  more  elevated.  This  meteor  is  distinguished 
from  real  lightning,  by  not  being  accompanied  by  thunder  ;  or  rather, 
these  lights  are  the  reflection  of  lightning  at  too  great  a  distance  for 
us  to  hear  the  thunder-clap  which  follows. 

The  flying  dragon,  the  dancing  goat,  the  burning  beam,  and  vari- 
ous other  meteors,  owe  their  names  to  the  singular  appearance  which 
they  present.  They  are  only  gross  and  viscous  exhalations  which 
ferment  in  the  humid  regions  of  the  lower  sky,  and  which  being  pressed 
in  several  directions  by  the  agitated  atmosphere,  assume  diflferent 
figures,  to  which  people  give  these  extraordinary  names.  Experimen- 
talists have  imitated  these  phenomena  by  the  combination  of  certain 
inflammable  substances. 

Of  all  the  nocturnal  phenomena,  none  are  more  remarkable  or 
brilUant  than  the  aurora  borealis,  or  northern  lights,  which  are  gene- 
rally seen  from  the  beginning  of  autumn  till  the  commencement  of 
spring,  when  the  weather  is  calm  and  serene,  and  when  the  light  of 
the  moon  is  not  great.  The  aurora  borealis  does  not  always  appear 
the  same.  Commonly  towards  midnight  a  light  is  perceived  some- 
thing resembhng  the  first  breaking  of  day.  Sometimes  also  we  ob- 
serve streams,  and  sudden  shoots  of  light,  and  white  and  luminous 
clouds  which  are  in  constant  motion.  But  when  the  aurora  borealis 
shows  itself  in  full  perfection,  we  almost  always  see  during  mild  wea- 
ther, towards  the  north,  an  obscure  space,  a  thick  and  dark  cloud, 
the  upper  part  of  which  is  surrounded  by  a  white  and  luminous  bor- 
der, from  which  rays,  brilliant  jets,  and  resplendent  pillars  proceed, 
which  every  moment  as  they  rise  assume  red  and  yellow  colours, 
then  meet,  unite  and  form  thick  and  luminous  clouds,  and  at  length 
terminate  in  variously  coloured  clouds,  white,  blue,  fiery  red,  and  the 
most  beautiful  purple. 

How  great  is  the  magnificence  of  God  !  Even  night  itself  proclaims 
his  majesty.    How  can  we  complain  that  at  this  season  the  nights 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


351 


are  gradually  becoming  longer,  when  they  present  such  grand  and 
sublime  spectacles,  that  both  interest  our  minds  and  our  hearts  ?  The 
phenomena  which  we  have  been  describing  render  the  long  nights  of 
the  northern  nations  not  only  supportable,  but  even  pleasing  and  bril- 
liant. Our  nights,  which  are  much  shorter,  might  still  procure  us 
very  diversified  pleasures,  if  we  would  be  attentive  to  them.  Let  us 
accustom  ourselves  to  raise  our  minds  and  our  hearts  towards  heaven, 
and  soar  in  thought  beyond  moons  and  stars  unto  our  Creator  ;  reflect 
upon  his  grandeur,  and  adore  him  in  silence,  when  the  sublimity  of 
the  night  shall  fill  our  souls.  For  thou,  O  Lord,  art  great !  The 
solemn  stillness  of  the  night  attests  thy  power  and  love.  The  moon 
silently  revolving  in  the  azm'e  plains  of  heaven,  displays  thy  majesty. 
All  the  host  of  stars  flaming  in  the  firmament  praise  and  celebrate 
thee ;  and  the  paler  light  of  the  aurora  borealis,  streaking  the  even- 
ing sky,  manifests  the  perfections  of  our  God. 


SEPTEMBER  XXVL 

AMPHIBIOUS  ANIMALS. 

Besides  quadrupeds,  birds,  and  fish,  there  is  a  species  of  animal 
which  can  live  either  on  the  earth  or  in  the  water,  and  is  on  this  ac- 
count termed  amphibious.  The  animals  of  this  class  are  all  cold 
blooded,  and  have  something  forbidding  in  their  look  and  figure ; 
their  colour  is  dark  and  disagreeable  ;  and  they  have  an  unpleasant 
smell,  with  a  hoarse  voice  ;  and  many  of  them  are  venomous.  In- 
stead of  bones,  they  have  only  cartilages  ;  their  skin  in  some  instances 
is  smooth,  in  others  covered  with  scales.  Most  of  them  live  con- 
cealed in  dirty,  swampy  places  ;  some  are  oviparous.  These  last  do 
not  hatch  their  own  eggs  ;  but  abandon  them  to  the  warmth  of  the 
air,  or  water,  or  lay  them  on  a  dunghill.  Almost  all  this  species  of 
animals  live  upon  prey,  which  they  obtain  either  by  their  superior 
strength  or  cunning.  They  can  long  support  famine,  and  in  general 
live  a  very  laborious  life.  Some  of  them  walk,  others  creep,  and  this 
diflference  occasions  them  to  be  divided  into  two  classes.  In  the  first 
class  may  be  enumerated  those  which  have  feet.  The  tortoise,  which 
is  in  this  class,  is  covered  with  a  strong  shell  resembhng  a  buckler  : 
land  tortoises  are  smaller  than  those  that  live  in  the  sea,  some  of 
which  are  five  ells  long,  and  weigh  from  eight  to  nine  hundred 
pounds. 

There  are  several  species  of  lizards  ;  some  with  smooth  skins, 
others  are  covered  with  scales  ;  and  some  have  wings,  and  are  called 
dragons.  Among  those  that  have  no  wings  are  the  crocodile  ;  the 
cameleon,  which  can  live  six  months  without  food  ;  and  the  sala- 
mander, which  can  live  in  the  fire  some  time  without  being  consumed, 
because  the  cold  and  sHmy  fluid  which  it  throw^s  out  from  all  parts 
defends  it  from  the  effects  of  the  heat.    Of  all  these  animals  the 


352 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


crocodile  is  the  most  formidable  ;  it  first  proceeds  from  an  egg  not 
larger  than  that  of  a  goose,  and  attains  to  the  immense  length  of 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  It  is  cruel,  voracious,  and  extremely  cun- 
ning. 

Serpents  form  the  second  class  of  amphibious  animals.  They  have 
no  feet,  but  creep  along  by  a  winding  vermicular  motion,  by  means 
of  the  scales  and  rings  that  cover  their  bodies  ;  and  their  spinal  ver- 
tebrae have  a  peculiar  structure  to  favour  this  motion.  Some  serpents 
are  said  to  possess  the  property  of  fascinating  birds,  and  the  small 
creatures  they  wish  to  prey  upon  ;  these,  seized  with  a  sudden  fear 
at  the  sight  of  the  serpent,  and  perhaps  stupified  by  the  poisonous 
and  fetid  exhalations  it  emits,  have  no  power  to  fly,  and  fall  an  easy 
prey  into  the  gaping  throat  of  their  adversary.  The  jaws  of  serpents 
can  be  opened  to  such  an  extent,  that  they  are  able  to  swallow  ani- 
mals of  a  larger  bulk  than  their  own  heads.  Some  serpents  have 
fangs  in  their  mouths  resembling  their  other  teeth,  and  they  act  as  a 
sort  of  dart  which  they  can  push  in  and  out  as  they  please  ;  and  by 
this  means  they  insert  into  the  wound  which  they  make  a  poisonous 
humour,  which  is  ejected  from  a  little  bag  placed  at  the  root  of  the 
tooth.  This  poison  has  the  peculiar  property  of  only  being  hurtful 
to  parts  where  the  flesh  has  been  wounded,  for  it  may  be  taken  inter- 
nally without  danger.  The  serpents  thus  armed  form  but  about  the 
tenth  part  of  the  whole  species;  none  of  the  others  are  venomous, 
though  they  dart  at  men  and  animals  with  as  much  fury  as  if  they 
could  hurt  them.  The  rattlesnake  is  by  far  the  most  dangerous.  It 
is  commonly  from  three  to  four  feet  long,  and  about  as  thick  as  the 
thigh  of  a  man.  Its  smell  is  strong  and  disagreeable  ;  and  it  seems 
as  if  nature  had  designed  this,  as  well  as  its  rattles,  to  warn  men  of 
its  approach,  that  they  might  have  time  to  avoid  it.  This  reptile  is 
most  furious  when  tormented  by  hunger,  or  when  it  rains.  It  never 
bites  till  it  has  coiled  itself  in  a  circle  ;  but  it  assumes  this  form  with 
incredible  quickness  :  to  coil  itself  up,  to  rear  itself  upon  its  tail,  to 
dart  upon  its  prey,  to  wound  it,  and  to  retire,  is  but  the  work  of  a 
moment. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  asked  why  God  has  created  a  species  of  animals 
that  only  seem  to  exist  for  the  torment  and  destruction  of  man  *?  This 
and  similar  questions  show  that  we  only  think  of  ourselves,  that  we 
are  too  hasty  in  forming  our  judgments,  and  too  much  disposed  to 
blame  the  works  of  God.  Considered  in  this  point  of  view,  such 
questions  are  very  reprehensible;  but  if  we  ask  them  for  the  purpose 
of  being  more  convinced  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in  the 
works  of  the  creation,  they  are  not  only  commendable,  but  absolutely 
necessary  for  every  reflecting  person  to  ask.  To  those  then  who  in- 
quire for  the  sake  of  information,  and  further  advancement  in  the 
things  of  God,  I  wish  to  address  myself.  Perhaps  it  may  appear  to 
you  that  such  creatures  as  lizards  and  serpents  could  not  have  been 
created  for  the  general  good  of  the  world.  But  this  is  a  rash  opinion  ; 
for  if  among  amphibious  animals  there  are  some  which  do  too  much 
mischief,  it  is  certain  that  the  greater  part  of  them  are  harmless. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  '  353 


And  is  it  not  a  proof  of  God's  goodness,  that  not  more  than  the  ten^th 
part  of  serpents  are  venomous  ?  And  even  those  which  are  mischie- 
vous have  tlieir  bodies  so  formed,  that  it  is  generally  possible  to  escape 
their  attacks.  Thus,  however  formidable  is  the  rattlesnake,  it  cannot 
conceal  its  approach  ;  its  odour  and  rattles  giving  sufficient  warning. 
It  is  also  worthy  of  remark,  that  Providence  has  opposed  to  this  dan- 
gerous animal  an  enemy  able  to  conquer  it.  The  sea-hog  every 
where  seeks  and  devours  it  with  avidity  ;  and  a  child  is  strong  enough 
to  kill  the  most  terrible  of  these  reptiles,  for  a  very  slight  blow  with  a 
stick  across  their  backs  almost  instantly  kills  them.  Besides,  it  would 
be  extremely  unjust  only  to  dwell  upon  the  mischief  these  creatures 
may  do  us,  without  considering  the  advantages  which  they  actually 
procure  us.  Some  of  them  are  beneficial  as  nourishment;  others 
supply  us  with  medicines  ;  and  the  shell  of  the  tortoise  is  useful  for 
many  purposes.  In  short,  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  are  not 
less  conspicuous  in  this  than  in  all  other  parts  of  the  creation.  To 
reflect  upon  his  divine  perfections,  to  admire  and  to  adore  them,  is  our 
duty  when  we  see  animals  which  appear  to  be  injurious  to  us  ;  but 
never  let  us  complain  of  his  arrangements,  or  murmur  at  his  dispen- 
sations :  it  w^ould  be  still  more  culpable  with  regard  to  these  creatures, 
because  our  faculties  are  too  limited  to  comprehend  the  various  uses 
for  which  they  may  be  designed. 


SEPTEMBER  XXVIL 

PERFECTIONS   OF  THE  WORKS  OF  GOD. 

What  can  equal  the  perfection  of  the  works  of  God  1  and  who  can 
describe  the  infinite  power  which  is  displayed  in  them  1  It  is  not  only 
that  their  immensity,  number,  and  variety  fill  us  with  admiration  ; 
but  each  work  in  particular  is  formed  with  such  infinite  art,  that  each 
is  perfect  in  its  kind,  and  the  wonderful  proportion  and  regularity  of 
the  smallest  productions  display  the  boundless  inteUigence  and  gran- 
deur of  their  Author.  We  are  justly  astonished  at  the  dififerent  arts 
which  the  moderns  have  invented,  and  by  means  of  which  they  exe- 
cute things  that  would  have  appeared  to  our  ancestors  as  supernatu- 
ral. We  measure  the  height,  the  breadth,  and  the  depth  of  bodies, 
we  know  the  orbits  of  the  stars,  and  we  can  direct  the  course  of 
rivers ;  we  can  elevate  or  depress  waters,  construct  buildings  to  move 
upon  the  sea,  and  perform  many  other  works  which  do  honour  to  the 
human  understanding.  But  what  are  all  the  inventions  of  man,  his 
most  magnificent  and  beautiful  productions,  in  comparison  of  the  least 
of  the  works  of  God  ]  How  weak  and  imperfect  imitations,  how  far 
below  the  original  ]  Let  the  most  eminent  artist  exert  all  his  skill  to 
give  his  work  a  pleasing  and  useful  form  ;  let  him  polish  and  perfect 
it  with  all  his  art  and  care  ;  and  after  all  his  labours,  industry,  and 
efforts,  let  him  examine  his  performance  through  a  microscope,  and 


554 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


see  how  coarse,  ill-shaped,  and  rough  it  will  appear  !  He  will  dis- 
cover how  great  is  its  want  of  regularity  and  proportion.  But  whe- 
ther we  examine  the  works  of  the  eternal  God  through  a  microscope 
or  with  the  naked  eye,  they  bear  the  minutest  examination,  and  the 
closest  inspection  ;  they  are  always  admirable,  always  beautiful,  of 
an  exquisite  form  and  order,  of  an  incomparable  symmetry. 

Divine  wisdom  has  formed  and  arranged  all  the  parts  of  every  body 
with  infinite  art,  and  wonderful  harmony  and  proportion.  Such  is 
,the  prerogative  of  unlimited  power,  that  admirable  order  reigns 
throughout  the  creation  ;  from  the  greatest  to  the  most  minute  produc- 
tions of  nature,  all  is  harmony  ;  every  thing  is  so  well  connected  that 
no  void  is  perceptible,  and  in  the  vast  catenation  of  created  beings 
not  a  single  link  is  wanting ;  nothing  is  out  of  place  or  defective, 
every  thing  is  necessary  to  the  perfection  of  the  whole,  and  each  part, 
separately  considered,  will  be  found  perfect  in  itself.  It  is  impossible 
to  describe  the  numberless  beauties,  the  ever-varying  charms,  the 
beautifully  blended  shades  of  colouring,  the  rich  hues,  and  diversified 
ornaments  of  the  meadows  and  the  valleys  ;  of  the  mountains  and 
the  forests  ;  of  the  plants  and  the  flowers  !  Is  there  a  single  work  of 
God  which  has  not  its  peculiar  characteristic  beauty?  Is  not  that 
which  is  the  most  useful  at  the  same  time  the  most  pleasing  ?  What 
an  astonishing  variety  of  forms,  figures,  and  dimensions,  do  we  not 
discover  in  the  inanimate  part  of  the  creation?  But  a  still  greater 
diversity  is  observable  among  animated  beings,  and  yet  each  indivi- 
dual is  perfect  in  its  kind,  without  any  thing  to  add  or  diminish.  How 
powerful  and  infinite  tlien  must  be  that  being,  by  a  single  act  of 
whose  will  so  many  creatures  rose  into  existence. 

But  to  admire  the  grandeur  and  power  of  God  we  need  not  go 
back  to  that  remote  period  of  time,  when  at  his  word  every  being  rose 
out  of  nothing,  every  thing  was  created  in  an  instant,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment attained  its  full  perfection.  Do  we  not  now  behold  at  the  return 
of  each  succeeding  spring  a  new  creation?  What  can  be  more  ad- 
mirable and  striking  than  the  revolution  which  then  takes  place  ] 
At  the  close  of  autumn,  the  valleys,  the  fields,  the  meadows,  and  the 
forests  gradually  droop,  and  appear  to  die  ;  nature^  during  the  winter, 
loses  all  her  beauties  ;  the  very  animals  languish,  the  little  birds  hide 
themselves,  and  no  longer  pour  their  swelling  notes  through  the 
groves,  where  not  a  green  leaf  is  seen,  but  all  is  desert,  and  nature 
mourns  her  faded  charms.  Yet  at  this  very  time  a  secret  power  is 
working  for  her  renovation,  without  our  being  conscious  of  its  influ- 
ence ;  life  again  animates  the  torpid  bodies ;  and  they  are  preparing 
;r  undergo  a  kind  of  resurrection. 

How  can  we  so  often  witness  this  magnificent  spectacle  without 
admiring,  in  humble  adoration,  the  power  and  glory  of  the  eternal 
Tod,  who  has  given  to  the  trees  their  foliage  ;  to  the  flowers  their 
beauty  and  fragrance  ;  to  the  woods  and  to  the  meadows  their  delight- 
[\\\  verdure  ;  and  who  has  caused  bread,  wine,  and  oil  to  spring  up 
rom  the  earth,  to  make  glad  the  heart  of  man  ?  O  Lord,  how  great 
and  manifold  are  thy  works  !   Thou  hast  made  them  all  with  wis- 


STURM'S  REFLEC^nOiXS. 


355 


dom  :  the  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches.  I  will  never  recline  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  spreading  tree,  and  view  the  fields  gay  with  flowers, 
the  corn  waving  in  rich  luxuriance,  or  see  the  distant  forests,  without 
joyfully  remembering  that  it  is  my  God  and  heavenly  protector  who 
has  thus  clothed  the  creation  in  beauty. 


SEPTEMBER  XXVIIL 

FRUITS. 

This  is  the  blessed  season  in  which  the  divine  goodness  lavishes 
upon  us  fruits  of  every  kind  in  plentiful  abundance.  '  The  ciiarms 
of  summer  are  succeeded  by  solid  enjoyments  ;  delicious  frr.its  re- 
place the  faded  flowers.  The  mellow  apple,  whose  golden  brilliancy 
is  heightened  by  the  rich  streaks  of  purple,  weighs  down  the  branch 
which  bears  it ;  the  luscious  pears  and  plums,  whose  juice  is  sweeter 
than  honey,  display  their  beauties,  and  invite  us  to  pluck  them.' 
How  inexcusable  and  selfish  are  those  people,  who,  at  the  sight  of  all 
these  blessings,  which  the  munificence  of  God  bestows  upon  them, 
never  have  any  good  thoughts  arise  in  their  souls,  nor  endeavour  to 
sanctify  the  pleasures  of  autumn  by  reflecting  on  the  kindness  of 
their  God  ! 

How  wisely  has  the  Creator  distributed  fruits  in  the  diflferent  sea- 
sons of  the  year !  Though  summer  and  autumn  are  generally  the 
times  when  nature  produces  these  rich  gifts,  with  the  assistance  of 
art  w^e  can  obtain  them  both  in  spring  and  in  w^inter,  and  our  tables 
may  thus  be  provided  with  fruit  all  the  year  round.  As  early  as  the 
month  of  June,  nature  produces  of  herself,  unaided  by  art,  raspber- 
ries, gooseberries,  and  cherries.  The  month  of  July  furnishes  our 
tables  with  peaches,  apricots,  and  some  kinds  of  pears.  In  August 
fruits  appear  in  the  most  lavish  profusion ;  figs,  late  cherries,  and  a 
variety  of  delicious  pears.  September  gives  us  grapes,  winter  pears, 
and  apples ;  and  October  yields  more  varieties  of  the  same  kinds  of 
fruits. 

Thus  nature  distributes  her  gifts  with  the  wisest  economy,  so  that 
without  having  them  in  too  great  abundance,  we  enjoy  an  ample 
variety,  and  constant  succession.  And  though  as  winter  approaches 
the  number  and  variety  of  fruits  begin  to  diminish,  we  are  still  able 
to  preserve  many  of  them  for  use  during  the  w^iole  of  this  season. 
Providence  has  not  designed  man  to  be  idle,  but  has  intended  him  to 
be  always  active,  and  to  labour  to  supply  his  wants ;  hence  he  has 
distributed  his  blessings  with  such  diversity,  and  has  so  formed  them, 
that  if  proper  care  is  not  taken  to  preserve  them  they  will  spoil,  and 
be  of  no  value. 

How  great  is  the  abundance  of  fruits,  and  the  profusion  with  which 
they  are  distributed  !  Though  birds  and  insects  are  continually  feed- 
ing upon  them,  we  have  yet  a  sufiäcient  quantity  left  for  use.    If  we 


356 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


could  calculate  how  much  fruit  a  hundred  trees  would  produce  in  a 
favourable  year,  we  should  be  astonished  at  the  immense  quantity. 
Why  is  there  such  an  abundance  of  fruits,  if  not  to  supply  men  with 
nourishment,  and  particularly  those  w^ho  are  poor  and  destitute  1  In 
giving  to  them  these  fruits,  so  plentifully.  Providence  has  supplied 
them  with  a  cheap,  nourishing,  and  wholesome  food,  and  so  agree- 
able that  they  have  no  cause  to  envy  the  rich  their  seasoned  and  often 
unwholesome  viands. 

Few  kinds  of  aliment  are  more  salubrious  and  nourishing  than 
fruits  :  and  we  ought  to  consider  it  as  a  merciful  care  of  God,  that  he 
has  given  them  to  us  in  a  season  when  they  may  be  used  as  most  ex- 
cellent remedies,  as  well  as  refreshing  and  pleasant  food.  Nothing 
is  more  delicious  than  fruit ;  each  species  has  a  taste  peculiar  to  itself, 
and  it  is  certain  they  would  lose  much  of  their  value  if  they  had  all 
the  same  flavour;  their  variety  renders  them  more  exquisite,  and 
delectable.  Thus  Providence,  hke  a  tender  parent,  not  only  provides 
for  the  support  of  his  creatures,  he  also  ministers  to  their  pleasures. 
May  it  be  our  fondest  delight,  and  most  pleasing  duty,  to  devote  our- 
selves to  the  service  of  so  kind  a  Father  !  How  great  will  our  hap- 
piness be,  if  we  give  ourselves  up  to  him  with  full  purpose  of  heart ! 
What  sweet  consolation,  and  pure  and  exalted  pleasures,  shall  we 
then  taste  !  What  bright  hopes  may  we  not  indulge  for  happiness  in 
our  future  existence ! 


SEPTEMBER  XXIX. 

HYMN  OP  PRAISE,  IMITATED  FROM  PSALM  CXLVII. 

Praise  ye  the  Lord,  for  he  is  omnipotent !  He  telleth  the  numbei* 
of  the  stars,  and  calleth  each  by  its  name.  Thou  earth,  and  ye  hea- 
vens,  celebrate  him  ;  his  name  is  great  and  glorious ;  the  sceptre  of 
his  power  rules  over  you  with  majesty  ;  celebrate  the  Almighty  ! 

Unite  your  voices  to  bless  the  God  of  mercy  !  Ye  who  are  distressed, 
come  unto  him ;  come  to  your  Father ;  he  is  gentle,  merciful,  and 
gracious  ;  a  God  of  peace,  charity,  and  love. 

The  heavens  become  dark ;  but  it  is  to  water  the  earth  with  fruit- 
ful rains.  Verdure  beautifies  our  fields  ;  grass  grows,  and  fruits  ripen ; 
for  the  clouds  pour  from  heaven  the  bounty  of  our  God,  who  is  full 
of  kindness.  Let  every  thing  that  breathes  glorify  the  Lord  !  Beasts 
and  birds,  fish  and  insects,  nothing  is  forgotten,  all  the  objects  of 
Iiis  care,  all  are  nourished  by  his  bounty.  Let  us  praise  and  celebrate 
our  heavenly  Father ! 

O  how  he  supports  and  comforts  those  who  trust  in  his  mercy,  and 
confide  in  his  power  !  One  friend  often  cannot  save  another,  and  the 
utmost  strength  of  man  cannot  save  him  from  danger.  Alas  !  w^retched 
is  the  mortal  who  seeketh  vain  supports  !  Put  not  your  trust  in 
princes,  nor  in  the  sons  of  men,  in  whom  there  is  no  help;  but  repose 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


35T 


on  the  Rock  of  Ages,  your  Saviour  and  your  God.  His  word  is  a 
Bource  of  life  and  salvation.  O  ye  who  are  of  his  covenant,  how  great 
is  your  happiness  !  Praise,  exalt,  and  celebrate  the  God  of  truth  and 
mercy ! 


SEPTEMBER  XXX. 

INVITATION  TO  PRAISE  GOD. 

Great  is  the  Lord ;  innumerable  heavens  are  his  pavilion ;  the 
thunder-cloud  is  his  chariot,  and  the  lightning  walketh  by  his  side. 

The  lustre  of  the  morning  is  but  the  reflection  of  the  hem  of  his 
garment ;  when  his  splendour  goes  forth  the  light  of  the  sun  is 
eclipsed. 

Praise  the  eternal  God,  ye  luminaries  of  his  palace  :  ye  solar  rays, 
flame  his  glory :  thou  earth,  lift  up  thy  voice  and  sing  his  praise. 
Celebrate  him,  thou  sea  ;  foam,  ye  billows,  to  his  honour ;  ye  rivers, 
praise  him  in  your  course  !  Roar,  ye  lions  of  the  forest,  to  his  glory  ! 
Sing  unto  him,  ye  feathered  inhabitants  of  the  air  !  Resound  his 
praises,  ye  echoes  !  Let  all  nature,  in  harmonious  concert,  chant  his 
honour  !  And  thou,  O  man,  lord  of  this  lower  world,  mingle  thy 
thanksgiving  with  the  universal  song  !  God  has  done  more  for  thy 
happiness  than  for  all  the  rest :  he  has  given  thee  an  immortal  spirit, 
which  enables  thee  to  comprehend  the  structure  of  the  universe,  and 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  springs  of  nature. 

Praise  him  when  the  sun  rises  from  his  ruddy  bed,  and  paints  the 
east  with  glory ;  praise  him  when  his  departing  beams  faintly  irradiate 
the  western  horizon :  with  the  voice  of  univeral  nature,  unite  thy 
accents,  tuned  to  his  praise.  Praise  him  in  the  rainy  and  in  the  dry 
seasons  ;  in  the  tempest  and  in  the  calm  ;  when  the  snow  falls,  when 
the  ice  stops  rivers  in  their  course,  and  when  verdure  covers  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Exalt  him  for  thy  own  salvation  :  when  thou  soarest 
up  to  him,  all  low  desires  and  base  inclinations  shall  leave  thy  heart, 
and  thou  shalt  retire  with  greater  elevation  of  thought  and  purity  of 
soul. 


OCTOBER  L 

A  HYMN  IN  PRAISE  OF  GOD. 

All  the  hosts  of  heaven  glorify  the  power  and  majesty 'of  the 
Creator ;  and  all  the  spheres  which  roll  in  the  immensity  of  space 
celebrate  the  wisdom  of  his  works.  The  sea,  the  mountains,  the 
forests,  and  the  deeps,  all  created  by  a  single  act  of  his  will,  are  the 
heralds  of  his  love,  and  the  messengers  of  his  power. 


358 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Shall  I  alone  be  silent,  and  not  chant  hymns  to  his  praise  ?  My 
soul  longs  to  soar  up  to  his  throne  ;  and  though  my  language  may  be 
feeble,  my  tears  will  express  the  love  which  I  feel  for  my  heavenly 
Father  and  Protector.  Though  my  tongue  falter,  and  my  broken 
accents  declare  my  weakness,  the  most  high  God  sees  through  my 
henrt,  and  gladly  receives  the  pure  incense  which  ever  burns  there  on 
bis  holy  altar.  But  how  shall  I  praise  thee,  who  art  far  above  all 
praise  ?  Could  I  take  the  sunbeams  for  my  pencil,  I  could  not  sketch 
a  single  ray  of  thy  essence.  The  purest  spirits  can  offer  thee  but 
imperfect  praise.  By  what  power  do  millions  of  suns  shine  with  so 
much  splendour?  who  has  marked  out  the  wonderful  course  of  those 
revolving  spheres  ?  What  chain  unites  them,  and  what  power  influ- 
ences them  1    It  is  the  breath,  the  word  of  Jehovah  our  God. 

The  Lord  called  the  worlds,  and  they  moved  in  their  spheres  through 
the  space  of  heaven.  Then  was  our  world  produced  ;  the  birds,  the 
fish,  the  cattle,  and  the  wild  beasts  that  sport  in  the  forests  ;  and  to 
complete  all  came  man  to  inhabit  the  earth,  and  receive  joy  in  its 
productions.  Our  sight  is  delighted  with  smiling  and  varied  prospects  ; 
our  eyes  wander  over  the  green  plains,  or  contemplate  forests  that 
seem  to  rise  into  the  clouds  ;  they  view  the  sparkhng  dew-drops  of 
morning  that  water  the  flowers,  or  they  pursue  the  windings  of  the 
limpid  stream  wiiich  reflects  the  trees. 

To  break  the  force  of  the  w'inds,  and  to  offer  us  the  most  lovely 
views  of  nature,  the  mountains  rear  their  lofty  summits,  and  fiom 
them  flow  the  purest  streams.  The  dry  valleys  and  parched  fields  are 
watered  by  rain  and  dew,  and  the  air  is  cooled  with  the  gentle  breeze. 

It  is  our  God  who  directs  the  spring  to  unfold  a  green  carpet  under 
our  feet;  it  is  he  who  gilds  the  ears  of  corn,  and  tinges  the  grapes 
with  their  purple  hue ;  and  w  hen  cold  descends  to  benumb  nature, 
he  wraps  her  in  a  pure  mantle.  Through  him  the  human  mind  pene- 
trates the  abode  of  the  stars,  recalls  the  past,  anticipates  the  future,  and 
discerns  the  evidence  of  truth  from  the  delusion  of  error  ;  and  by  his 
power  we  conquer  death,  and  escape  from  the  tomb.  Unto  the  mighty 
God  of  the  universe  then  be  ascribed  all  honour,  glory,  and  renown, 
for  ever  and  ever ! 


OCTOBER  II. 

EFFECTS  OF  FIRE. 

Nothing  in  nature  can  exceed  the  violent  effects  of  fire ;  and  the 
extreme  rapidity  with  which  ignited  particles  are  put  in  motion  is 
altogether  astonishing.  But  how  few^  people  attend  to  these  effects, 
or  deem  them  worthy  of  their  observation !  Yet  in  our  domestic  affairs 
we  daily  experience  the  beneficial  influence  of  fire,  and  perhaps  on 
this  very  account  we  are  less  attentive.    I  wish,  then,  in  the  present 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


359 


reflection,  to  make  my  readers  call  to  mind  this  great  blessing  of  Pro- 
vidence, and,  if  possible,  cause  them  to  feel  its  full  value. 

One  eflTect  of  fire,  and  which  must  be  familiar  to  every  person,  is 
that  of  dilating  such  bodies  as  are  exposed  to  its  influence.  A  piece 
of  iron  made  to  fit  a  hole  in  a  plate  of  metal,  so  that  it  easily  passes 
through  when  cold,  being  heated  cannot  be  made  to  enter  ;  but  upon 
being  again  cooled,  readily  passes  into  the  hole  as  at  first.  This  dila- 
tation, caused  by  the  heat,  is  still  more  perceptible  in  fluid  bodies,  as 
spirits,  water,  and  more  particularly  air;  and  upon  this  principle  our 
thermometers  are  constructed. 

If  we  observe  the  effects  of  fire  upon  compact  and  inanimate  sub- 
stances, we  shall  find  that  they  soon  begin  to  melt,  and  are  changed 
partly  into  a  fluid  and  partly  into  a  solid  of  a  different  nature.  It 
communicates  fluidity  to  ice,  oil,  and  all  fat  substances,  and  most  of 
the  metals.  These  bodies  are  rendered  susceptible  of  such  changes, 
from  their  combination  being  more  simple  and  their  particles  more 
homogeneal  than  those  of  other  bodies.  The  fire  consequently  pene- 
trates their  pores  more  readily,  and  succeeds  sooner  in  separating  the 
parts  from  each  other.  Hence  some  of  these  matters  evaporate  when 
the  fire  penetrates  them  in  too  great  a  quantity,  or  with  too  much 
force.  Some  solid  bodies  undergo  other  changes  ;  sand,  flint,  slate, 
quartz,  and  spar,  become  vitrified  in  the  fire  ;  clay  is  converted  into 
stone ;  marble,  calcareous  stones,  and  chalk,  are  changed  into  lime. 
The  diversity  of  these  effects  does  not  proceed  from  the  fire,  but  from 
the  different  properties  of  the  bodies  upon  which  it  acts.  It  may  pro- 
duce three  kinds  of  effects  upon  the  same  body;  it  may  melt,  vitrify, 
and  reduce  it  to  lime,  provided  that  the  matter  possesses  the  three 
necessary  properties  of  being  metallic,  vitrifiable,  and  calcareous. 
Thus  fire  of  itself  produces  nothing  new ;  it  only  develops  in  bodies 
those  principles  which  before  its  action  were  not  perceptible. 

Upon  fluids  fire  produces  two  effects  ;  it  makes  them  boil,  and  con- 
verts them  into  vapour.  These  vapours  are  formed  of  the  most  subtile 
particles  of  the  fluid  separated  by  the  fire,  and  they  ascend  in  the  air 
because  they  are  specifically  lighter  than  that  fluid.  In  living  crea- 
tures fire  produces  the  sensation  of  heat  in  every  part  of  the  body : 
without  this  element  man  could  not  preserve  life  ;  a  certain  degree  of 
heat  is  necessary  to  give  vitality  and  motion  to  the  blood,  for  which 
purpose  we  are  constantly  inhaling  fresh  air,  which  ahvays  contains 
the  matter  of  heat,  and  imparts  it  to  the  blood  in  the  lungs,  whilst 
this  organ  of  respiration  expels  the  air  that  has  lost  its  vivifying  pro- 
perties. 

The  above  reflections  ought  to  confirm  in  our  minds  the  important 
truth,  that  Providence  has  constantly  in  view  the  welfare  of  man,  and 
is  ever  giving  us  proofs  of  his  divine  love.  How  numerous  are  the 
advantages  which  the  effects  of  fire  alone  procure  us  !  By  the  inti- 
mate union  of  fire  and  air  the  seasons  are  renewed,  the  moisture  of 
the  soil  and  the  health  and  life  of  man  supported  ;  by  the  action  of 
fire  water  is  put  in  motion,  organized  bodies  are  brought  to  a  state  of 
perfection,  the  branch  is  preserved  in  the  bud,  the  plant  in  the  seed, 


360 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


and  the  embryo  in  the  egg  ;  it  serves  to  prepare  our  food,  contributes 
to  the  formation  of  metals,  and  renders  them  fit  for  use. 

In  short,  when  we  collect  the  different  properties  of  fire,  we  must 
be  convinced  of  the  numerous  blessings  which  the  Creator  has  by  its 
means  diffused  over  the  globe  ;  a  truth  v/hich  ought  to  call  forth  our 
love  and  gratitude  for  the  Author  of  our  being,  and  fill  our  minds  with 
contentment  and  a  perfect  reliance  upon  God. 


OCTOBER  III. 

THE  INSTINCT  AND  INDUSTRY  OF  BIRDS. 

Birds  afford  us  many  innocent  pleasures,  and  now  that  some  of 
them  are  about  to  disappear  for  a  considerable  space  of  time,  let  us 
bestow  a  little  attention  upon  them,  that  their  presence  may  rejoice 
us,  and  make  us  think  with  gratitude  and  pleasure  upon  God,  who 
is  their  Creator  as  well  as  ours.  It  is  very  pleasing  to  observe  the 
different  instincts  which  he  has  given  to  them.  None  of  these  in- 
stincts are  useless  or  superfluous,  each  is  indispensably  necessary  to 
the  preservation  and  well-being  of  the  bird  ;  and  however  httle  we 
know  of  them,  it  is  sufficient  to  give  the  highest  ideas  of  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  God. 

When  we  reflect  upon  that  particular  instinct  which  incites  birds 
to  move,  we  may  find  in  that  alone  just  cause  of  admiration.  Expe- 
rience convinces  us  that  corporeal  motion  requires  something  more 
than  mere  strength,  and  limbs  supple  and  well  formed.  It  is  not  till 
after  many  essays  and  falls  that  we  can  preserve  our  balance,  walk 
with  ease,  run,  leap,  sit  down,  and  rise  up  again  ;  and  yet  to  a  body 
constructed  as  is  ours,  these  motions  seem  to  be  much  easier  than 
they  are  to  birds.  These  animals  also  have  only  two  feet,  but  their 
bodies  do  not  rest  perpendicularly  upon  them  ;  they  project  before  as 
well  as  behind,  and  yet  a  chicken  will  stand  upright,  and  run  about 
almost  as  soon  as  it  leaves  the  egg.  Young  ducks  which  have  been 
hatched  by  a  hen  know  their  own  element,  and  swim  in  the  water 
without  having  been  directed  by  example  or  instruction.  Other  birds 
know  how  to  rise  from  their  nests  into  the  air,  balance  themselves, 
and  pursue  their  course  through  the  air,  making  equal  strokes  with 
their  wings ;  stretch  their  feet,  spread  out  their  tails,  using  them  as 
oars,  and  perform  long  voyages  to  countries  very  remote  from  the 
place  of  their  nativity. 

How  admirable  also  is  the  art  w^hich  they  use  to  obtain  a  subsist- 
ence ;  an  art  which  they  bring  into  the  world  with  them  ?  Certain 
birds,  though  not  aquatic,  live  upon  fish ;  consequently  they  ought 
to  find  it  more  difficult  to  seize  their  prey  than  is  the  case  with  water- 
fowl. Who  teaches  them  this  instinct  ]  They  stand  on  the  brink  of 
the  water,  and  when  they  perceive  at  a  distance  a  shoal  of  fish  advanc- 
ing, they  pursue  them,  skim  along  the  surface,  and  suddenly  plung- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


361 


ing  in  the  water  seize  upon  a  fish.  Who  has  given  to  birds  of  prey 
their  piercing  eye,  courage,  and  weapons,  without  which  they  could 
not  obtain  the  means  of  subsistence  ?  Who  teaches  the  stork  where 
to  find  frogs  and  insects  to  feed  upon  ?  To  procure  tliem  she  must 
carefully  traverse  tlie  meadows,  and  seci.:  '^om  in  the  furrows  of  the 
field  ;  and  she  must  prolong  her  search  till  morning,  when  other  birds 
begin  to  awake.  What  incredible  strength  the  condor  must  possess, 
since  it  is  said  to  carry  off  a  deer,  and  prey  upon  an  ox  !  How  can 
we  reconcile  with  the  savage  nature  of  the  quail  that  maternal  instinct, 
which  makes  her  adopt  young  birds  of  any  species,  and  not  only  take 
them  under  her  protection,  but  lavish  upon  them  her  most  tender 
cares  ?  What  cunning  the  crow  uses  to  hide  the  prey  which  she  can- 
not devour  at  once  !  She  carefully  conceals  it  in  places  that  other 
crows  are  not  liable  to  frequent ;  and  when  hunger  again  presses  her, 
she  well  knows  the  magazine  where  she  had  hoarded  her  treasure. 

We  might  make  many  more  observations  of  this  kind,  without  being 
at  all  able  to  explain  all  the  mysteries  in  the  instinct  of  birds  :  but  the 
little  that  we  know  of  them  is  sufficient  to  dispose  those  whose  minds 
are  open  to  contemplate  the  works  of  nature  to  follow  still  more  noble 
pursuits.  Let  us  not  confine  ourselves  to  the  consideration  of  the 
instincts  and  properties  of  birds,  which  ought  only  to  be  regarded  as 
a  first  step  leading  to  more  sublime  meditations  ;  but  let  the  admira- 
tion which  these  raise  in  us  elevate  our  souls  to  the  God  from  whom 
these  animals  have  received  all  their  faculties,  and  who  has  prepared 
and  combined  so  many  things  for  the  continuance  and  multipUcation 
of  this  part  of  his  creatures. 


OCTOBER  IV. 

ANIMAL  REPRODUCTIONS. 


Here  we  discover  a  new  field  of  wonders  which  seem  wholly  to 
contradict  the  principles  which  we  had  adopted  concerning  the  forma- 
tion of  organized  bodies.  It  was  long  supposed  that  animals  could 
only  be  multiplied  by  eggs,  or  by  young  ones.  But  it  is  now  found 
that  there  are  some  exceptions  to  this  general  rule,  since  certain 
animal  bodies  have  been  discovered  which  may  be  divided  into  as 
many  complete  bodies  as  we  please  ?  for  each  part  thus  separated 
from  the  parent  body  soon  repairs  what  is  deficient,  and  becomes  a 
complete  animal.  It  is  now  no  longer  doubtful  that  the  polypus  be- 
longs to  the  class  of  animals,  though  it  much  resembles  plants  both  in 
form  and  in  its  mode  of  propagating.  The  bodies  of  these  creatures 
may  be  either  cut  across  or  longitudinally,  and  the  pieces  will  become 
so  may  complete  polypi.  Even  from  the  skin,  or  least  part  cut  off 
from  the  body,  one  or  more  polypi  will  be  produced  ;  and  if  several 
pieces  cut  off  be  joined  together  by  the  extremities,  they  will  perfectly 
unite,  nourish  each  other  and  become  one  body. 

31  2V 


362 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


This  discovery  has  givea  rise  to  other  experiments,  and  it  has  been 
found  that  polypi  are  not  the  only  animals  which  live  and  grow  after 
being  cut  in  pieces.  The  earth  worm  will  multiply  after  being  cut 
in  two  ;  to  the  tail  part  there  grows  a  head,  and  the  two  pieces  then 
become  two  worms.  After  having  been  divided,  they  cannot  be  joined 
together  again  ;  they  remain  for  some  time  in  the  same  state,  or  grow 
rather  smaller  ;  we  then  see  at  the  extremity  which  was  cut,  a  little 
white  button  begin  to  appear,  which  increases  and  gradually  length- 
ens. Soon  after  we  may  observe  rings,  first  very  close  together,  but 
which  insensibly  extend  on  all  sides;  a  new  stomach  and  other  organs 
are  then  formed. 

We  may  at  any  time  make  the  following  experiment  with  snails : 
Cut  off  their  heads  close  by  their  horns,  and  in  a  certain  space  of  time 
the  head  will  be  reproduced.  A  similar  circumstance  takes  place  in 
crabs ;  if  one  of  their  claws  is  torn  off,  it  will  again  be  entirely 
reproduced. 

A  very  wonderful  experiment  was  made  by  Duhamel  on  the  thigh 
of  a  chicken.  After  the  thigh-bone,  which  had  been  broken,  was 
perfectly  restored,  and  a  callus  completely  formed,  he  cut  off  all  the 
flesh  down  to  the  bone  ;  the  parts  were  gradually  reproduced,  and  the 
circulation  of  the  blood  again  renewed.  We  must  acknowledge  then 
that  some  animals  may  be  multiplied  by  being  divided  into  pieces ; 
and  we  no  longer  doubt  that  the  young  of  certain  insects  may  be  pro- 
duced in  the  same  manner  as  a  branch  is  from  a  tree  ;  that  they  may 
be  cut  in  pieces,  and  live  again  in  the  smallest  piece  ;  that  they  may 
be  turned  inside  out  like  a  glove,  divided  into  pieces,  then  turned  again, 
and  yet  live,  eat,  grow,  and  multiply.  Here  a  question  offers  itself 
which  perhaps  no  naturalist  can  resolve  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 
How  does  it  happen  that  the  parts  which  are  thus  cut  off  can  be  again 
reproduced?  We  must  suppose  that  germs  are  distributed  to  every 
part  of  the  body,  whilst  in  other  animals  they  are  only  contained  in 
certain  parts.  These  germs  unfold  themselves  when  they  receive  proper 
nourishment.  Thus,  when  an  animal  is  cut  in  pieces,  the  germ  is 
supplied  with  the  necessary  juices,  which  would  have  been  conveyed 
to  other  parts  if  they  had  not  been  diverted  into  a  different  channel. 
The  superfluous  juices  develop  those  parts  which  without  them  would 
have  continued  attached  to  each  other.  Every  part  of  the  polypus 
and  worm  contains  in  itself,  as  the  bud  does  the  rudiments  of  a  tree, 
all  the  viscera  necessary  to  the  animal.  The  parts  essential  to  life 
are  distributed  throughout  the  body,  and  the  circulation  is  carried  on 
even  in  the  smallest  particles.  As  we  do  not  understand  all  the 
means  which  the  Author  of  nature  makes  use  of  to  distribute  life  and 
feeling  to  such  a  number  of  animals,  we  have  no  reason  to  maintain 
that  the  creatures  of  which  we  have  been  speaking  are  the  only  ones 
w^hich  form  exceptions  to  the  general  rule,  in  their  mode  of  propagat- 
ing. The  fecundity  of  nature,  and  the  infinite  wisdom  of  the  Creator, 
always  surpass  our  feeble  conceptions.  The  same  hand  which  has 
formed  the  polypus  and  the  worm  has  also  shown  us  that  it  is  able  to 
simplify  the  structure  of  animals. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


363 


OCTOBER  V. 

THE  ORGANS  OF  TASTE. 

We  should  possess  fewer  sources  of  pleasure  if  wc  had  not  the 
faculty  of  distinguishing",  by  our  taste,  different  kinds  of  food.  The 
great  variet}'  of  fruits  which  abound  in  this  season  may  naturally  in- 
duce us  to  reflect  upon  this  subject.  Our  pleasure  would  be  consi- 
derably diminished  if  the  apple,  the  pear,  the  plum,  and  the  grape,  all 
had  the  same  flavour.  The  faculty  of  distinguishing  them,  or  the 
sense  of  taste,  is  a  gift  of  God's  goodness,  and  a  proof  of  his  wisdom, 
which  deserves  our  utmost  gratitude. 

What  are  the  means  which  enable  us  to  taste  and  distinguish  our 
food  ]  The  tongue  is  the  principal  organ  :  for  this  purpose  the  sur- 
face is  furnished  with  nervous  papillae,  by  means  of  which  we  receive 
the  impression  of  taste.  This  structure  is  evident  upon  dissecting 
the  tongue ;  for  having  taken  off  the  membrane  which  covers  it, 
numerous  roots  where  the  nerves  terminate  appear  ;  and  it  is  precisely 
where  these  nervous  papillae  are  found  that  we  have  the  sensation  of 
taste  ;  when  they  are  wanting,  we  have  no  sense  of  tasting.  When 
we  put  highly  flavoured  things  under  our  tongue,  we  have  scarcely 
any  perception  of  them  till  they  are  attenuated  and  brought  to  the 
surface  of  the  tongue,  when  we  immediately  become  sensible  of  their 
flavour;  consequently  the  sensation  of  taste  is  only  powerful  where 
the  nervous  papillae  are  in  the  greatest  quantity,  and  that  is  in  the 
part  nearest  the  throat. 

To  be  still  more  convinced  that  the  sense  of  taste  depends  upon  the 
nerves,  we  have  only  to  examine  the  tongue  of  a  dog  or  of  a  cat.  In 
these  animals  the  nervous  papillae  are  situated  towards  the  root  of  the 
tongue  ;  the  fore-part  being  destitute,  whilst  the  palate  is  covered  with 
them  :  hence  with  these  animals  the  tip  of  the  tongue  is  not  suscep- 
tible of  taste. 

How  skilfully  this  organ  of  taste  is  constructed,  all  the  parts  of 
which  no  anatomist  has  yet  been  able  to  discover !  Is  it  not  the 
effect  of  infinite  wisdom,  that  the  tongue  has  a  greater  number  of 
nervous  fibrillae  than  any  other  part  of  the  body,  and  that  it  is  filled 
with  little  pores,  that  the  salts  and  savoury  parts  of  food  may  pene- 
trate more  deeply,  and  in  greater  abundance,  to  the  nervous  papillae  ? 
Is  it  not  owing  to  the  same  wisdom,  that  the  nerves,  whose  fibres 
spread  over  the  palate  and  throat,  are  also  extended  to  the  nose  and 
eyes,  as  if  to  make  these  organs  contribute  their  share  in  discerning 
our  ahment  1  Another  thing  worthy  of  admiration  is  the  duration  of 
the  organs  of  taste ;  however  fine  and  delicate  in  their  structure, 
they  continue  longer  than  instruments  of  stone  and  steel.  Our  clothes 
wear,  our  flesh  decays,  our  bones  become  dry,  whilst  the  sense  of 
taste  survives  them  all. 

Seeing,  then,  that  God  has  favoured  us  with  faculties  superior  to 
all  other  creatures,  let  us  endeavour  always  to  exert  them  for  the  best 


i 


364 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


purposes.  If  we  are  unwilling  to  acknowledge  the  wisdom  and  good- 
ness of  our  Creator,  who  else  is  to  render  him  that  homage  ?  Let  us 
reflect  on  the  abundance  we  receive  from  the  animal,  vegetable,  and 
mineral  kingdoms.  The  heavens  and  the  earth,  the  air  and  the 
ocean,  contribute  to  our  happiness  ;  wherever  we  go  we  behold  the 
gifts  of  God.  From  the  lofty  summits  of  the  mountains,  the  depths 
of  the  valleys,  the  beds  of  lakes,  and  the  bosoms  of  rivers,  we  derive 
sustenance  and  pleasure.  Though  it  is  reasonable  that  we  should 
esteem  and  highly  value  this  choice  gift  of  God,  yet  let  us  not  prize 
it  be3'ond  the  design  of  the  divine  Giver.  The  sense  of  taste  is 
bestowed  on  us  as  a  means  to  conduct  us  to  the  noblest  ends.  How 
absurd  and  culpable  it  would  be,  if  we  made  our  chief  happiness  to 
consist  in  those  pleasures  of  w^hich  this  sense  is  the  organ ;  and  to 
live  only  to  gratify  tlie  palate  by  savoury  viands  and  delicious  drinks. 
Let  us  shrink  from  the  idea  of  reducing  ourselves  to  the  level  of  the 
brute,  whose  chief  dehght  is  in  eating  and  drinking  :  and  let  us  ever 
remember  that  we  have  an  immortal  soul,  which  can  never  be  satis- 
fied with  any  thing  short  of  the  Supreme  Good  ;  and  to  have  a  true 
relish  for  this  good,  to  be  desirous  of  being  nourished  by  it,  constitutes 
the  wisdom  and  felicity  of  the  man  and  the  Christian. 


OCTOBER  VI 
OP  god's  government  with  regard  to  natural  events. 

All  the  events  which  take  place  in  the  heavens,  upon  the  earth, 
and  in  the  air,  are  regulated  according  to  prescribed  natural  laws. 
But  it  would  be  wrong  not  to  acknowledge  the  influence  of  a  parti- 
cular Providence,  which  directs  natural  things  according  to  its  own 
views,  and  makes  them  concur  in  its  designs.  God  makes  use  of 
natural  causes  to  chastise  or  to  recompense  men  ;  and  it  is  thus,  for  ex- 
ample, that  at  his  command  the  air  is  pure  or  corrupt,  and  the  seasons 
are  fruitful  or  unproductive.  He  prevents  or  assists  the  designs  of 
men  ;  sometimes  by  winds  and  storms,  at  others  by  the  flux  and 
reflux  of  the  sea.  It  is  true,  that  God  does  not  in  general  interrupt 
the  course  of  nature  ;  but  it  is  equally  certain  that  nature  cannot  act 
without  his  will  and  concurrence.  The  parts  which  constitute  the 
visible  world  cannot  use  their  power  as  they  please;  and  God  can  in- 
fluence his  creatures  without  overturning  the  order  of  nature.  Fire, 
water,  wind,  and  rain,  have  their  natural  causes  and  peculiar  proper- 
ties ;  and  God  uses  them  to  execute  his  designs  in  a  manner  suitable 
to  their  nature.  He  uses  the  heat  of  the  sun  to  warm  and  fertilize 
the  earth  :  he  employs  the  winds  and  the  rain  to  purify  and  cool  the 
air,  but  always  in  such  a  way  as  best  suits  his  views  and  purposes. 

A  great  part  of  the  good  and  evil  which  we  experience  in  this  state 
of  existence  proceeds  from  surrounding  objects  ;  and  as  God  interests 
himself  in  every  thing  which  happens  to  man,  he  undoubtedly  has  an 


STURM'S  REn.ECTIONS. 


365 


influence  upon  those  objects,  and  upon  every  part  of  nature  ;  and  oi 
this  are  founded  the  rewards  which  he  promises  to  virtue,  and  the 
chastisements  with  which  he  punishes  vice.  The  one  he  crowns 
with  peace  and  prosperity  ;  and  when  he  pleases  sends  war,  famine, 
and  pestilence  to  punish  the  other.  In  short,  all  natural  causes  are 
in  the  hand  of  God,  and  immediately  under  his  guidance.  Man 
himself  is  a  proof  of  this.  How  frequently  his  industry  subdues  na- 
ture !  Though  he  cannot  change  the  essence  of  things,  he  is  able  to 
make  use  of  natural  causes,  so  that  effects  result  from  them  which 
would  not  have  taken  place  without  the  art  and  direction  of  man. 
But  if  Providence  has  in  some  degree  subjected  natural  things  to  hu- 
man industry,  how  much  more  rational  is  it  to  suppose  he  reserves 
to  himself  the  supreme  government  and  direction  of  all  these  things  ! 

From  all  this  we  may  conclude,  that  a  particular  Providence  is  ne- 
cessary to  watch  over  the  government  of  the  world.  Natural  causes 
are  doubtless  excellent  instruments  ;  but  to  be  useful  they  should  be 
under  the  direction  of  a  wise  governor.  It  would  be  unreasonable  to 
desi'-e  that  God  should  every  instant  change  the  laws  of  nature  which 
he  has  once  established  ;  that  if,  for  instance,  a  man  fell  into  water, 
or  in  the  fire,  he  should  neither  be  drowned  in  the  one  case,  nor  burned 
in  the  other.  Thus,  again,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  Providence 
will  preserve  men  who  shorten  their  lives  by  intemperance  ;  or  that 
he  will  work  miracles  to  save  them  from  the  misfortunes  which  they 
bring  upon  themselves,  by  their  own  misconduct  and  folly.  But  it  is 
our  duty  to  attribute  to  the  guardian  cares  of  Providence  all  those 
beneficial  dispensations  which  minister  to  our  wants  and  fill  our  hearts 
with  joy.  All  the  disorders  of  nature  are  also  the  eflfects  of  the  power 
of  God,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  means  which  he  uses  to  punish 
men.  It  is  under  this  belief  that  on  the  one  hand  is  founded  the 
eflScacy  of  those  prayers  by  which  we  implore  the  blessings  of  hea- 
ven, peace,  and  fruitful  seasons ;  and  on  the  other,  offer  up  our 
thanksgivings,  for  the  mercies  which  we  have  so  abimdantly  re- 
ceived. 


OCTOBER  VII. 

THE  INEXHAUSTIBLE  RICHES  OF  NATURE. 

Nature  is  so  liberal  to  us,  so  abundant  in  resources  to  supply  all  our 
wants,  so  rich  in  gifts,  that  they  surpass  in  number  the  drops  of  water 
in  the  ocean. 

How  many  different  things  does  one  single  individual  require  dur- 
ing a  life  of  sixty  years  !  How  much  he  wants  for  food  and  raiment, 
for  the  sweets  and  conveniences  of  life,  for  the  pleasures,  the  amuse- 
ments, and  the  duties  of  society ;  not  to  mention  extraordinary 
cases,  and  unforeseen  accidents.  Every  age,  state,  and  condition  of 
life,  in  every  country,  and  among  every  people,  from  the  king  to  the 


366 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


beggar,  from  the  suckling  babe  to  the  old  man,  has  its  particular 
wants  and  necessities  ;  what  agrees  with  one  does  not  suit  another  ; 
and  all  require  provisions,  and  different  means  of  subsistence.  Yet 
we  see  nature  suffices  for  all,  and  provides  so  liberally  for  every  want, 
that  each  individual  receives  all  that  is  necessary  for  him.  Since  the 
first  age  of  the  world,  the  earth  has  not  ceased  to  open  her  bosom ; 
the  mines  are  not  exhausted  ;  the  sea  constantly  provides  subsistence 
for  a  great  number  of  creatures  ;  plants  and  trees  have  always  buds 
and  seeds  which  germinate  and  are  fruitful  in  the  proper  season.  All- 
bountiful  nature  diversifies  her  riches,  that  they  may  not  be  too  much 
exhausted  in  one  place  ;  and  when  any  species  of  plants,  fruits,  or 
provisions,  begin  to  diminish,  she  produces  others  ;  and  she  does  it  so 
that  the  desire  or  taste  of  men  should  lead  them  where  her  productions 
are  most  abundant. 

Nature  is  a  wise  economist,  who  takes  care  that  nothing  shall  be 
lost.  She  derives  profit  from  every  thing.  Insects  serve  as  food  to 
greater  animals  ;  and  these  are  ahvays  useful  to  man  in  one  way  or 
another.  If  they  do  not  supply  him  with  food,  they  provide  him  with 
raiment,  or  they  furnish  him  with  arms  and  weapons  of  defence ;  and 
if  they  answer  none  of  these  purposes,  they  at  least  procure  him 
excellent  medicines.  If  disease  sweeps  off  some  species  of  animals, 
nature  repairs  that  loss  by  the  increase  of  others.  She  even  makes 
use  of  the  dust  of  dead  bodies,  and  putrid  and  corrupt  substances,  for 
the  nourishment  of  some  creatures,  or  as  manure  to  the  earth. 

How  rich  also  is  nature  in  fine  and  delightful  prospects  !  Her 
most  beautiful  dress  only  requires  light  and  colours,  and  with  these 
she  is  abundantly  provided  ;  the  scene  which  she  presents  is  continu- 
ally varying,  according  to  the  point  of  view  in  which  it  is  seen.  And 
while  in  one  place  the  eye  is  gratified  with  the  most  beautiful  forms, 
in  another  the  ear  is  charmed  by  melodious  sounds,  and  the  organ  of 
smell  is  refreshed  by  the  most  agreeable  perfumes.  In  short  the  gifts 
of  nature  are  so  plentiful,  that  those  w^hich  are  continually  used  never 
fail.  She  distributes  her  riches  throughout  the  earth,  and  diversifies 
them  in  different  countries,  taking  from  some,  and  giving  to  others  ; 
by  means  of  commerce  such  relations  and  links  are  established 
between  distant  kingdoms,  that  her  productions,  passing  through  an 
infinite  number  of  hands,  are  much  increased  in  value  by  their  exten- 
sive and  continual  circulation.  Such,  in  the  hands  of  God,  are  the 
inexhaustible  riches  of  nature,  for  which  we  can  never  be  too  grateful. 


OCTOBER  VIII. 

PETRIFACTIONS. 

The  transformation  of  different  substances  from  the  animal  or 
vegetable  into  the  mineral  kingdom,  is  a  peculiarity  in  natural  his- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


367 


tory  well  deserving  of  our  attention.  Petrifactions  throw  much  light 
on  the  natural  history  of  the  earth. 

The  first  thing  worthy  of  remark  in  petrifactions  is  their  external 
form,  which  clearly  shows  that  they  have  once  belonged  to  the  vege- 
table or  the  animal  kingdom.  The  petrifaction  of  animals  is  not  un- 
frequent.  Aquatic  animals  are  found  petrified;  and  it  is  not  uncom- 
mon to  meet  with  entire  fishes  in  this  state,  the  least  scales  of  which 
are  distinctly  visible ;  and  the  multitude  of  shells  and  worms  found 
in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  apparently  converted  into  stone,  is  very 
great ;  and  there  are  besides  many  petrifactions  of  animals  found, 
no  similar  species  of  which  are  at  present  known  to  exist.  The  pe- 
trifactions of  marine  substances  are  found  in  great  abundance  in 
various  parts  of  the  earth  ;  on  the  summits  of  the  loftiest  mountains, 
at  an  elevation  of  several  thousand  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  sea ; 
and  others  at  a  great  depth  in  the  earth.  Various  species  of  petrified 
plants  are  also  met  with  in  different  strata  of  the  earth;  and  ofien  the 
impressions  which  they  have  made  are  only  seen,  the  substances 
themselves  being  destroyed.  In  some  places  whole  trees  are  found 
buried  more  or  less  deep  in  the  earth,  and  converted  into  a  stony  sub- 
stance ;  but  such  petrifactions  do  not  appear  to  be  of  a  very  ancient 
date. 

It  may  with  propriety  be  asked,  how  these  petrified  substances  got 
into  the  earth,  and  particularly  how  they  could  be  found  on  the 
highest  mountains  1  And  how  animals,  which  generally  live  in  the 
sea,  and  do  not  belong  to  our  climate,  have  been  transported  so  far 
from  their  natural  abode  1  To  explain  this  phenomenon  many  causes 
may  be  assigned.  These  petrifactions  may  be  regarded  as  a  certain 
proof  that  water  once  covered  the  greatest  part  of  the  earth  ;  and  as, 
wherever  w^e  dig,  whether  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  or  in  deepest 
mines  in  the  earth,  we  find  all  kinds  of  marine  productions,  it  would 
seem  as  if  no  more  satisfactory  explanation  could  be  given.  The  great 
quantity  of  petrified  shellfish  found  often  in  very  high  situations,  and 
forming  regular  strata,  gives  us  reason  to  believe  that  these  heights 
once  made  a  part  of  the  bottom  of  the  sea;  and  it  is  the  more  probable, 
because  we  know  the  bed  of  the  ocean  resembles  the  solid  earth.  We 
are  yet  very  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  manner  in  which  nature 
effects  these  petrifactions.  It  is  certain  that  bodies  will  not  petrify  in 
the  open  air,  because  animal  and  vegetable  substances  are  dissolved 
or  become  putrid  in  that  element ;  so  that  air  must  be  wholly  or  par- 
tially excluded  from  the  places  where  the  process  of  petrifaction  is 
going  on.  A  dry  soil  has  no  petrifying  property.  Running  waters 
may  encrust  some  bodies,  but  cannot  change  them  into  stone ;  the 
very  stream  of  the  water  would  prevent  it.  A  soft  moist  earth,  con- 
taining calcareous  matter  in  a  state  of  solution,  most  probably  contri- 
butes to  petrifaction ;  the  fluid  penetrates  into  the  pores  of  vegetablQ 
and  animal  substances,  and  as  they  dissolve  deposits  calcareous  matter, 
which  unites  with,  and  adapts  itself  to,  the  substance  in  question. 
From  the  above  account  we  may  deduce  some  consequences  which 
throw  considerable  light  upon  the  subject.  All  animals  and  vegetables 


368 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


are  not  equally  proper  to  be  converted  into  stone ;  for  that  purpose 
they  should  possess  a  certain  hardness  of  texture,  which  would  pre- 
vent their  becoming  putrid,  before  they  became  petrified.  Petrifac- 
tions are  chiefly  formed  in  the  interior  of  the  earth,  and  the  place 
where  they  are  formed  should  be  neither  very  wet  nor  very  dry.  All 
the  kinds  of  stones  which  contain  petrifactions,  or  form  the  substance 
of  them,  are  the  work  of  time,  and  are  still  daily  producing.  Such 
are  the  calcareous  and  argillaceous  earths,  and  several  others  of  a 
similar  nature ;  and  petrified  bodies  partake  of  the  nature  of  these 
stones. 

Though  petrifactions  were  of  no  other  use  than  to  throw  some  light 
upon  the  natural  history  of  our  globe,  they  would,  on  that  account 
alone,  highly  merit  our  attention.  But  if  we  consider  them  as  proofs 
of  the  secret  operations  and  changes  of  nature,  they  will  be  very  useful 
by  manifesting  the  wonderful  power  and  wisdom  of  God. 


OCTOBER  IX. 

THE  OPERATIONS  OF  NATURE  ARE  GRADUAL. 

We  may  observe  an  admirable  gradation,  an  insensible  progress, 
from  the  simplest  to  the  most  complex  perfection  throughout  nature ; 
and  there  is  no  intermediate  space  which  has  not  some  characteristic 
of  what  precedes  and  of  what  follows  ;  there  is  neither  a  void  nor  a 
break  in  the  whole  of  nature. 

Earthy  particles  form  the  chief  composition  of  solid  bodies,  and  are 
found  in  all  substances  decomposed  by  human  art.  From  the  union 
of  earth  with  salts,  oils,  and  sulphurs,  &c.  result  different  combina- 
tions of  earths  more  or  less  compound,  light,  or  compact.  These 
insensibly  lead  us  to  the  mineral  kingdom.  The  different  species  of 
stones  are  very  numerous,  and  their  figure,  colour,  size,  and  hardness 
are  very  different.  We  find  among  them  various  metallic  and  saline 
matters,  from  which  minerals  and  precious  stones  are  produced.  In 
the  class  of  stones,  some  are  fibrous,  and  have  laminae,  or  a  sort  of 
leaves,  as  slate,  talc,  litophytes,  or  stony  marine  plants,  and  the  ami- 
anthus, or  stony  flower  of  mines  ;  and  these  lead  us  from  the  mineral 
to  the  vegetable  kingdom.  The  plant  which  seems  to  be  the  lowest 
in  the  scale  of  vegetation  is  the  truffle,  and  next  to  it  are  the 
numerous  species  of  mushrooms  and  mosses.  All  these  plants  are 
imperfect,  and  properly  only  constitute  the  limits  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  The  most  perfect  plants  naturally  divide  themselves  into 
three  great  families,  which  are  distributed  over  all  the  earth  ;  these 
are  herbs,  trees,  and  shrubs. 

The  polypus  seems  to  partake  both  of  tlie  vegetable  and  animal 
kingdoiti,  and  forms  the  connecting  link  between  plants  and  animals. 

Worms  commence  the  animal  kingdom,  and  lead  us  to  insects ; 
those  which  are  enclosed  in  a  stony  or  scaly  shell  seem  to  unite 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  369 

insects  to  shellfish.  Between  these,  or  rather  next  to  them,  is  the 
class  of  reptiles,  which  by  means  of  the  water-snake  are  united  to  fish. 
The  flying-fish  leads  us  to  birds.  The  ostrich,  whose  feet  nearly 
resemble  those  of  a  goat,  and  which  runs  rather  than  flies,  seems  to 
hnk  birds  with  quadrupeds.  The  ape  appears  to  be  between  man 
and  quadrupeds.  There  are  gradations  in  human  nature  as  in  all 
other  things  ;  between  the  most  perfect  man  and  the  ape  the  number 
of  links  is  very  great.  And  how  many  must  there  be  between  the 
most  perfect  man  and  the  lowest  angel !  How  many  between  the 
archangels  and  the  Creator  of  all  things  !  Here  new  links,  new  de- 
signs, new  beauties  and  excellences,  are  perceptible  ;  but  in  the 
spiritual  world  these  gradations  are  concealed  by  an  impenetrable  veil. 
However,  we  have  the  consolation  of  understanding  from  Revelation, 
that  the  immense  space  between  God  and  the  cherubim  is  filled  by 
Christ,  who  is  God  manifested  in  the  flesh.  By  him  human  nature 
is  glorified  and  exalted  ;  by  him  man  is  elevated  to  the  first  rank  of 
created  beings,  and  is  permitted  even  to  approach  the  throne  of  tho 
immortal  God. 

The  little  which  we  have  said  respecting  these  different  links  of 
nature  sufiSces  to  show  us  that  every  thing  in  the  universe  is  blended, 
that  all  holds  together,  and  is  united  by  the  most  intimate  bonds. 
There  is  nothing  without  design,  nothing  which  is  not  the  immediate 
effect  of  some  preceding  cause,  or  which  does  not  determine  the  exist- 
ence of  something  that  is  to  follow.  Nature  does  not  proceed  by  starts  ; 
every  thing  goes  on  gradually  from  the  least  to  the  most  perfect,  from 
the  nearest  to  the  most  distant,  from  bodily  perfection  to  mental  ex- 
cellence. But  our  knowledge  of  this  immense  chain  of  beings  is  still 
very  imperfect ;  we  are  yet  acquainted  with  very  few  of  the  links. 
However,  defective  as  is  our  inteUigence  in  this  respect,  it  is  ample 
enough  to  give  us  the  most  exalted  ideas  of  that  admirable  series,  and 
iniiiite  diversity  of  beings,  which  compose  the  universe ;  and  thus  we 
are  led  to  that  Infinite  Being,  between  whom  and  us  the  distance  is 
immeasurable. 


OCTOBER  X. 

FALL  OP  LEAVES. 

The  ravages  which  the  approach  of  winter  makes  in  the  forests  and 
in  the  gardens  begin  to  be  now  perceived.  All  plants,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  very  few,  lose  their  most  beautiful  ornaments,  the  leaves. 
What  is  the  cause  of  this  change  !  The  most  natural  seems  to  be  the 
cold ;  for  as  soon  as  the  first  frost  sets  in,  the  leaves  begin  to  fall,  and 
the  vegetables  to  lose  their  verdant  hue.  This  is  owing  to  the  circu- 
lation of  the  sap  being  checked  by  the  cold.  But  this  is  not  the  only 
cause  of  the  fall  of  leaves,  for  it  takes  place  in  mild  winters  when 
there  is  no  frost,  and  in  those  trees  which  are  preserved  from  the 

*  2W 


570 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


effects  of  the  cold  in  greenhouses.  Other  causes  are  therefore  instru- 
mental in  stripping  the  trees  of  their  leaves.  Perhaps  they  wither 
because  their  transpiration  is  not  supphed  by  the  necessary  quantity 
of  sap  from  the  root,  for  it  is  certain  that  the  branches  increase  in 
thickness  after  they  have  ceased  to  grow  in  length.  When,  therefore, 
at  the  time  that  the  branches  still  daily  grow,  the  stalks  of  the  leaves 
do  not  increase,  their  fibres  must  necessarily  be  detached  from  the 
fibres  of  the  branches,  and  consequently  the  leaves  will  then  fall. 

But  we  must  not  suppose  that  these  fallen  leaves  are  entirely  lost, 
and  no  longer  useful :  both  reason  and  experience  inform  us  to  the 
contrary.  Nothing  perishes,  nothing  is  useless  in  the  world,  conse- 
quently the  leaves  which  fall  from  trees  and  plants  are  of  some  use ; 
they  grow  putrid,  and  become  manure  for  the  earth  ;  snow  and  rain 
separate  the  saline  particles  from  them,  and  convey  them  to  the  roots 
of  trees  ;  and  when  the  leaves  are  thus  strewed  on  the  ground,  they 
preserve  the  roots  of  young  plants,  form  a  shelter  to  seeds,  and  retain 
round  them  the  necessary  degree  of  heat  and  humidity.  This  is  par- 
ticularly remarkable  in  oak  leaves  :  they  furnish  an  excellent  manure, 
not  only  to  the  tree  itself,  but  also  to  the  tender  shoots;  and  they  are 
particularly  useful  to  pastures,  by  promoting  the  growth  of  the  grass 
which  they  cover.  These  advantages  are  so  important,  that  fallen 
leaves  are  never  collected  for  the  purpose  of  throwing  them  away, 
unless  they  are  in  such  abundance,  that  the  grass  is  rather  choked 
up  than  nourished  by  them. 

Leaves  may  serve  as  manure  in  various  ways ;  they  are  laid  in 
stables  instead  of  straw,  and  thus  make  a  very  good  litter  for  cattle  ; 
or  they  may  be  mixed  with  other  kinds  of  manure.  The  mould  they 
produce  is  particularly  useful  in  gardens,  where  beds  are  made  of  it, 
which  contribute  much  to  the  growth  of  fruits  and  young  trees. 

The  fall  of  the  leaf,  in  a  moral  point  of  view,  may  be  considered  as 
an  emblem  of  human  life,  and  the  frailty  of  all  eai  thly  things.  *  I 
am  as  a  falling  leaf ;  death  walks  by  my  side  ;  perhaps  to-day  I  shall 
wither,  and  to-morrow  be  converted  into  dust !  My  life  hangs  by  a 
thread,  and  I  may  lose  all  my  beauty  and  vigour  in  a  single  moment. 
But  if  I  leave  behind  the  well-matured  fruits  of  love,  righteousness, 
and  holiness,  I  shall  quit  this  world  with  honour,  and  joyfully  prepare 
to  meet  my  Creator  and  Judge  !' 


OCTOBER  XL 

DIFFERENT  SPECIES  OF  EARTHS. 

We  can  only  form  conjectures  respecting  the  interior  of  the  earth. 
Those  who  labour  in  the  mines  have  not  been  able  to  descend  low^er 
than  nine  hundred  feet ;  for  if  they  wished  to  penetrate  deeper,  the 
great  pressure  of  the  air  would  be  fatal  to  them,  even  if  they  preserved 
themselves  from  the  water,  which  increases  in  proportion  to  the 


4 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


descent.  But  what  is  this  depth  in  comparison  of  the  semidiainetcr 
of  the  earth?  The  interior  of  the  earth  must  then  necessarily  be  in  a 
great  measure  unknown  to  us  ;  for  miners  themselves  have  scarcely 
penetrated  through  the  ftrst  crust.  All  that  we  know  is,  that  when 
we  have  dug  to  the  depth  of  some  hundred  feet,  this  crust  is  com- 
posed of  different  beds  placed  one  above  the  other.  These  strata  are 
much  blended,  and  their  direction,  substance,  thickness,  and  relative 
position,  vary  considerably  in  different  places.  Under  common  earth 
in  gardens,  clay  and  fat  earth  are  generally  found,  and  these  are 
alternated  by  layers  of  sand,  clay,  and  marl. 

The  division,  then,  of  these  different  layers  is  quite  arbitrary,  and 
they  may  be  more  or  less  extended  ;  but  in  comparing  them  together, 
that  division  seems  tobe  most  convenient  which  refers  them  to  seven 
classes. 

First,  black  earth,  which  is  composed  of  putrid  animal  and  vegeta- 
ble substances :  it  contains  many  salts  and  inflammable  matters,  and 
is  properly  dung.  Second,  clay,  which  is  more  compact  than  black 
earth,  and  retains  water  longer  upon  its  surface.  Third,  sandy  earth, 
which  is  hard,  light,  and  dry,  and  neither  retains  water  nor  is  dis- 
solved in  it.  It  is  the  poorest  of  all  earths,  though  some  plants  will 
grow  in  it.  Fourth,  marl,  which  is  softer,  more  mealy,  and  more 
readily  attracts  moisture.  Fifth,  bog,  or  marshy  earth,  which  con- 
tains a  vitriolic  salt,  too  acid  for  plants.  Sixth,  chalk,  which  is  dry, 
hard,  and  calcareous  ;  yet  some  plants  thrive  in  it.  And,  lastly,  stony 
earth.  The  smoothest  stones,  however  bare  of  earth,  are  yet  covered 
with  moss,  which  is  a  production  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  ;  and 
birch  will  grow  to  a  considerable  height  between  stones,  and  in  the 
clefts  of  rocks. 

The  different  species  of  earths  of  which  these  strata  are  composed 
are  disposed  with  much  wisdom ;  for  only  to  mention  the  principal 
advantages  which  result  from  them,  these  different  layers  of  sand,  of 
gravel,  and  of  light  earth,  favour  the  passage  of  fresh  water,  which 
filters  through  them,  becomes  softer,  and  is  afterwards  distributed  to 
supply  the  wants  of  man  and  animals.  These  strata  also  form  the 
reservoirs  and  canals  of  springs  and  fountains.  And  it  is  remark- 
able, that  these  canals  are  found  in  every  country  upon  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  and  that  they  are  composed  of  a  light  earth,  which  is  some- 
times mixed  with  a  soil  which  is  harder  and  more  stony,  and  tends 
better  to  purify  the  water.  The  diversity  of  earth  is  also  very  useful 
to  the  vegetable  kingdom ;  for  it  is  owing  to  this  that  herbs,  plants, 
and  trees  grow  spontaneously  in  certain  countries,  whilst  in  others 
they  require  the  assistance  of  art.  All  that  art  can  effect  in  such 
cases  is  to  imitate  nature,  which  has  prepared  for  the  plants  which 
grow  of  themselves  the  soil,  the  nutritive  juices,  and  the  degree  of 
heat  most  favourable  to  vegetation.  This  variety  of  soils  is  the  reason 
why  some  herbs  and  plants  have  their  internal  structure  different 
from  others  of  the  same  species.  It  often  happens  that  some  plants 
will  thrive  in  the  same  soil  in  which  others  languish,  and  that  the 
same  fruits  will  taste  differently  in  different  countries.    Plants  whose 


372 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


roots  are  weak,  small,  and  fibrous,  and  which  have  not  much  sap, 
ought  to  be  planted  in  a  light  sandy  soil,  that  the  roots  may  extend 
without  being  impeded,  that  the  rain  may  more  easily  penetrate,  and 
where  the  roots  may  not  meet  with  too  many  saline  and  oleaginous 
particles.  It  is  said  that  lettuce,  cauliflower,  salads,  &c.  may  be  pro- 
duced fit  to  eat  in  the  space  of  forty-eight  hours,  if  the  seeds  are 
previously  steeped  in  brandy,  and  the  soil  in  wliich  they  are  sown  is 
mixed  with  pigeon's  dung  and  the  powder  of  slacked  lime.  A  certain 
preparation  of  the  soil  is  undoubtedly  necessary  for  vegetation. 

All  this  should  make  us  acknowledge  the  wisdom  with  which  the 
Creator  has  disposed  the  earth  for  the  better  production  of  plants,  and 
the  happiness  of  his  creatures.  It  is  extremely  unjust  to  complain  of 
the  sterility  of  particular  soils,  for  the  divine  goodness  has  always 
taken  care  that  those  countries  assigned  to  man  for  his  abode,  should 
produce  as  much  as  is  necessary  for  his  subsistence  ;  and  if  some  soils 
are  found  less  fertile  than  others,  the  Creator  has  amply  compensated 
the  loss,  by  advantages  much  more  considerable  ;  or  he  has  inspired 
man  with  an  ardour  which  prompts  him  to  exert  more  energy  in  their 
cultivation. 


OCTOBER  XII. 

WINE. 

Wine  is  the  gift  of  the  divine  goodness,  for  which  w^e  cannot  be  too 
grateful.  God  has  not  only  given  us  bread  and  abundance  of  ali- 
ments for  our  support,  he  has  also  graciously  provided  for  our  plea- 
sures and  enjoyment ;  and  to  render  our  life  more  comfortable,  as 
well  as  to  contribute  to  our  health,  he  has  created  the  vine. 

No  other  beverage,  natural  or  artificial,  produces  effects  in  the  same 
degree  as  wine  :  it  dissipates  melancholy,  and  excites  the  most  plea- 
surable sensations.  Bread  makes  a  man  able  to  act,  but  wine  renews 
his  strength,  impaired  by  too  much  fatigue,  renders  his  labour  plea- 
sant, and  gives  life  and  energy  to  all  his  exertions.  Spirituous  liquors 
do  not  diflfuse  over  the  countenance  that  liv^ely  cheerful  air,  which 
wine  used  in  moderation  imparts. 

Let  us  here  reflect  upon  God,  who  has  communicated  such  bene- 
ficial properties  to  the  juice  of  a  plant  of  humble  birth  and  sterile 
soil.  How  much  his  divine  goodness  is  manifested  in  the  abundance 
and  the  variety  of  wines !  The  different  sorts  are  very  numerous,  and 
vary  in  colour,  smell,  taste,  quality,  and  duration  ;  and  each  climate 
enjoys  such  wines  as  are  best  adapted  to  the  nature  and  constitution 
of  its  inhabitants.  But  it  is  very  lamentable  to  see  how  much  this 
blessing  is  abused.  Some  legislators  have  interdicted  its  use,  not  from 
motives  of  improving  the  health  and  the  morals  of  the  people,  but 
from  false  principles  of  economy,  or  absurd  notions  of  fanaticism.  To 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


373 


one  or  other  of  these  causes  must  be  attributed  the  prohibition  of  wine 
10  his  followers  by  Mahomet. 

The  adulteration  of  wine  so  generally  practised,  particularly  when 
effected  by  such  noxious  ingredients  as  lime,  white  lead,  litharge,  &c. 
&c.  is  highly  prejudicial,  and  often  fatal  in  its  consequences.  What 
can  be  more  cruel  and  horrible  than,  for  the  sake  of  emolument,  to 
convert  what  it  has  pleased  Providence,  in  his  infinite  mercy  and  con- 
descension, to  bestow  upon  us  for  our  comfort  and  support,  into  an 
unwholesome  and  poisonous  drink  1  Surely,  hardened  as  is  the  heart 
of  man,  he  might  feel  some  remorse,  some  compunction,  in  thus  de- 
stroying and  counteracting  the  efficacy  of  one  of  the  richest  gifts  of 
nature.  A  poor  imfortunate  wretch,  diseased  and  distressed,  applies 
to  wine  as  to  a  choice  remedy  which  will  relieve  his  misery  and  solace 
his  affliction  :  out  of  the  small  pittance  earned  by  his  daily  labour  he 
purchases  a  little  portion,  and  hugs  himself  in  the  fond  hope  that  his 
strength  will  now  be  recruited,  and  his  pains  mitigated ;  but  the 
avarice  of  man  has  tainted  the  source,  and  poisoned  the  spring ;  the 
streams  are  no  longer  salubrious,  and,  instead  of  life-invigorating 
juice,  a  slow  poison  circulates  through  all  his  veins. 

Wine,  when  pure  and  unadulterated,  is  a  most  valuable  medicine, 
restores  the  vigour  of  the  constitution,  and  imparts  energy  to  the  sys- 
tem ;  but  the  too  frequent  and  liberal  use  of  it  is  as  hurtful  as  in 
moderation  it  is  beneficial. 


OCTOBER  XIII. 

MIGRATION  OF  BIRDS. 

About  this  time  of  the  year,  many  of  the  birds,  which  during  the 
summer  frequented  our  fields,  woods,  and  gardens,  leave  our  climate, 
and  migrate  into  other  countries.  Very  few  pass  the  winter  with  us  : 
the  principal  species  of  those  which  remain  are  the  yellowhammer, 
the  woodpecker,  the  crow,  the  raven,  the  sparrow,  the  wren,  the  par- 
tridge, thrush,  and  blackbird.  Most  of  the  rest  leave  us  entirelyj  or 
conceal  themselves  in  secure  retreats.  Their  migration  is  very  won- 
derful, and  highly  interesting. 

Some  species,  without  ever  taking  a  high  flight,  or  parting  in  com- 
pany, steer  towards  the  south,  in  quest  of  the  seeds  and  fruits  which 
they  prefer ;  and  soon  return.  Others,  which  are  called  birds  of  pas- 
sage, collect  together  at  certain  seasons,  and  fly  in  large  flocks  to 
other  climates.  Some  species  are  satisfied  with  passing  from  one 
country  to  another,  attracted  at  certain  times  by  the  air  and  food ; 
others  cross  the  seas,  and  undertake  astonishingly  long  voyages.  The 
birds  of  passage  most  known  are  the  quail,  the  swallow,  the  wild- 
duck,  the  plover,  the  snipe,  and  the  crane.  The  quails,  in  spring, 
leave  the  heat  of  Africa  for  the  milder  temperature  of  Europe  :  they 
fly  in  flocks  like  clouds,  and  often  through  weariness  fall  into  ships, 

32 


374 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


where  they  are  readily  taken.  Swallows  pursue  a  different  method  : 
many  of  them  cross  tlie  sea,  and  many  remain  in  Europe,  conceahng 
themselves  in  holes  of  the  earth,  or  in  marshes,  fastening  themselves 
together,  claw  against  claw,  and  bill  against  bill.  They  pile  them- 
selves in  heaps,  in  places  which  are  unfrequented  by  men  and  beasts. 
Wild-ducks  and  cranes  also,  at  the  approach  of  winter,  go  to  seek 
milder  climates  :  they  assemble  together  on  a  certain  day,  and  leave 
the  country  in  a  flock,  which  is  generally  arranged  in  two  lines  united 
in  a  point,  like  two  sides  of  a  triangle  ;  a  single  bird  leading  forms  the 
point,  and  the  rest  follow  in  two  lines  more  or  less  extended.  The 
duck  or  crane  which  thus  takes  the  lead  cuts  the  air,  and  facihtates 
the  passage  of  those  which  follow,  whose  beaks  rest  on  the  tails  of 
those  that  precede.  The  leader  holds  his  commission  only  a  certain 
time,  and  wheels  from  the  point  to  the  rear,  and  whilst  he  rest?  is 
replaced  by  another.  All  birds  of  passage,  however,  do  not  fly  in 
flocks ;  some  of  them  travel  quite  alone,  or  only  in  company  with 
their  females  and  family ;  others  unite  in  small  bodies.  They  are 
not  long  in  their  passage  ;  it  is  calculated  that  they  can  fly  two  hun- 
dred miles  in  six  hours  each  day,  provided  that  they  repose  the  rest 
of  the  time,  and  during  the  night.  According  to  this  calculation, 
they  can  pass  from  our  climate  to  the  equinoctial  line  in  seven  or 
eight  days ;  and  this  is  confirmed,  since  swallows  have  been  seen 
on  the  coasts  of  Senegal  eight  or  nine  days  after  their  departure  from 
Europe. 

The  migrations  cannot  be  too  much  admired  :  no  doubt  the  alter- 
nation of  heat  and  cold,  and  want  of  nourishment,  warn  them  to 
change  their  abode.  But  how  is  it,  that  when  the  temperature  of  the 
air  is  mild,  and  they  can  obtain  food  enough,  they  still  go  at  the  ap- 
pointed time  ?  How  do  they  know  that  they  will  find  nourishment 
and  a  due  degree  of  heat  in  other  countries?  Why  do  they  all  mi- 
grate at  the  same  time,  as  if  they  had  before  unanimously  determined 
upon  the  precise  day  of  their  departure  ?  And  how,  in  the  obscurity 
of  night,  and  without  knowing  the  country  or  the  climate,  do  they 
pursue  their  course  with  uninterrupted  perseverance  ?  These,  and 
many  more  questions  of  like  nature,  which  may  be  asked  upon  this 
interesting  subject,  are  perplexing,  and  cannot  be  explained  in  a  satis- 
factory manner,  because  we  do  not  know  enough  of  the  nature  and 
instinct  of  these  animals.  We  may,  however,  acknowledge  in  these 
migrations  the  wise  beneficent  directions  of  Providence.  What  means 
does  not  he  employ  to  preserve  and  nourish  certain  species  of  birds  1 
How  tenderly  and  carefully  he  supplies  their  wants,  when  their  food 
fails  in  some  countries  !  Let  us  learn  from  this,  that  every  thing  in 
the  vast  empire  of  nature  is  arranged  with  the  utmost  wisdom.  In- 
stinct is  to  birds  what  reason  is  to  man,  and  dictates  to  them  all  that 
is  necessary  for  their  preservation  and  support.  How  imfounded, 
then,  is  that  uncertainty  and  distrust  which  makes  us  doubt  the  cares 
of  Providence  !  The  very  flights  of  the  birds  should  instruct  us  in 
our  duty.  Why  do  we  so  often  abandon  ourselves  to  discouragement, 
doubts,  and  fears  1  Will  not  that  God  who  directs  the  birds  in  their 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


375 


distant  voyages  over  the  seas,  also  have  as  much  love  and  regard  for 
the  beings  whom  he  has  vouchsafed,  in  his  mercy,  to  endow  with  the 
noblest  faculties  and  pre-eminence  1  And  shall  not  man,  appointed 
by  the  immediate  word  of  God,  sovereign  of  the  creation,  experience 
the  tender  cares  and  parental  affection  of  his  Creator  ?  '  I  will  walk 
on  my  way  with  confidence  ;  God  is  my  leader,  and  I  will  not  turn 
aside  into  crooked  paths.  He  wills  my  happiness,  and  I  cannot  be 
miserable  when  conducted  by  so  kind  a  Father.' 


OCTOBER  XIV. 

VARIETY   OF  TREES. 

The  great  diversity  which  is  seen  in  all  the  productions  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom  may  also  be  observed  among  trees.  Some,  as  the 
oak,  are  remarkable  for  their  strength  and  duration ;  others,  as  the 
elm  and  fir,  are  tall  and  slender ;  and  others,  as  the  thorn  and  box- 
tree,  never  attain  any  great  height.  Some  are  knotty,  with  a  rough 
bark ;  whilst  others  are  smooth  and  fine,  as  the  maple,  the  poplar, 
and  the  birch.  Some  are  used  to  adorn  the  apartments  of  the  rich, 
whilst  others  are  employed  in  common  and  necessary  purposes.  Some 
are  so  dehcate,  that  the  least  wind  overturns  them  ;  and  others  un- 
moved resist  the  violence  of  the  northern  blast.  Some  of  them  grow 
to  an  extraordinary  height  and  thickness  ;  and  each  year,  for  more 
than  a  century,  has  contributed  to  their  size  ;  others  acquire  their 
full  growth  in  a  very  few  years.  Pliny  admired  those  great  trees 
out  of  whose  bark  they  constructed  boats  capable  of  containing  thirty 
people ;  what,  then,  would  he  have  said  of  those  trees  of  Congo, 
which,  when  hoUow^ed,  form  boats  which  w^ill  hold  two  hundred  per- 
sons ]  or  of  those  trees  which,  according  to  the  accounts  of  travellers, 
are  eleven  feet  in  diameter,  and  upon  which  they  can  carry  from  40 
to  50,000  lbs.  w^eight  1  There  is  one  of  this  kind  in  Malabar,  which 
is  said  to  be  fifty  feet  in  circumference.  Such  is  the  cocoa-tree  :  it  is 
a  species  of  palm,  and  the  leaves  of  some  of  them  are  so  large  that 
they  will  cover  twenty  people.  The  talhpot,  a  tree  which  grows  in 
the  island  of  Ceylon,  and  in  height  resembles  the  mast  of  a  ship,  is 
also  remarkable  for  its  leaves,  which  are  so  large,  that  it  is  said  one 
of  them  alone  will  shelter  twenty  men  from  the  rain  !  they  are  so 
phant  when  dry,  that  they  may  be  folded  up  like  fans,  in  which  state 
they  are  extremely  light,  and  not  thicker  than  a  man's  arm.  There 
are  still  to  be  seen  on  mount  Lebanon  twenty-three  ancient  cedars, 
which  are  said  to  be  antediluvian.  A  naturalist  who  has  seen  them 
asserts,  that  ten  men  could  not  embrace  one  of  those  cedars ;  they 
must  consequently  be  from  thirty  to  thirty-six  feet  in  circumference. 
The  gum-trees  in  the  American  islands  are  generally  twenty-six  feet 
in  circumference  ;  from  which  we  may  conjecture,  that  the  cedars 
of  Lebanon  are  not  so  old  as  is  reported,  though  it  is  well  known  that 


376  STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 

many  trees  attain  a  very  great  age.  There  are  apple-trees  a  thousand 
years  old. 

This  great  diversity  of  trees  may  remind  us  of  the  varieties  which  we 
find  among  men,  as  to  their  occupations  in  life,  their  talents,  modes  of 
thinking,  and  the  services  they  perform.  As  there  is  no  well-formed 
tree  in  the  forest  that  is  not  of  some  use  to  its  owner,  so  there  is  no 
person  in  society  who  may  not  be  useful  in  the  profession  which  he 
follows.  One  man  resembles  the  oak  in  his  firmness  and  unbending 
constancy ;  another  compensates  this  want  of  strength  by  complai- 
sance and  address  ;  he  is  all  things  to  all  men,  flexible  as  the  willow, 
bowing  to  every  breath.  The  man  of  integrity  will  only  comply 
with  what  is  just  and  innocent ;  but  he  who  regards  with  indiffer- 
ence laws  human  and  divine,  will  alw  ays  coincide  with  that  party 
which  is  the  strongest,  without  troubling  himself  which  side  is  in  the 
right. 

However  dififerent  trees  are  from  each  other,  they  all  belong  to  the 
Governor  of  the  universe,  are  nourished  by  the  same  earth,  refreshed 
by  the  rains,  and  cheered  by  the  same  sun.  Would  to  heaven  that 
all  men,  whatever  diversity  there  is  among  them,  would  unite  to 
acknowledge  that  they  are  all  alike  the  creatures  of  God,  equally  the 
subjects  of  his  power,  and  the  objects  of  his  parental  soHcitude  ;  that 
they  owe  to  him  all  their  nourishment  and  preservation,  and  to  him 
are  indebted  for  those  faculties  which  distinguish  them  above  all  the 
creatures  of  the  earth.  The  cedar  rising  majestically  upon  mount 
Lebanon,  and  the  bramble  creeping  at  its  feet,  are  alike  nourished  by 
the  juices  of  the  earth  and  the  rains  of  heaven.  The  divine  protec- 
tion is  also  as  necessary  to  the  rich  as  to  the  poor.  Men,  in  the  most 
elevated  and  exalted  ranks  of  society,  ought  always  to  jemember 
that  it  is  to  God  they  owe  all  their  grandeur,  that  they  only  enjoy  it 
through  his  permission,  and  that  one  moment  may  see  them  over- 
turned from  their  lofty  seats,  and  mingling  with  their  native  dust. 
Such  thoughts  as  these  \vould  tend  to  repress  those  emotions  of  pride 
which  are  too  apt  to  possess  their  hearts,  and  would  inspire  them  with 
that  submission  and  obedience,  which  is  due  to  the  Author  and  Con- 
servator of  their  being. 


OCTOBER  XV. 

TEMPERATURE  IN  DIFFERENT  CLIMATES  OF  THE  EARTH. 

At  first  view  it  would  appear  that  the  temperature  of  countries  de- 
pends upon  their  relative  position  to  the  sun,  since  his  rays  fall  upon 
the  places  in  the  same  degree  of  latitude  in  a  similar  manner.  But 
experience  teaches  us  that  cold,  heat,  and  all  variations  of  tempera- 
ture, depend  upon  many  other  circumstances.  The  seasons  may  be 
very  different  in  places  under  the  same  parallel,  and  ihey  are  some- 
times alike  in  very  different  climates.  As  then  accidental  causes  may 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


377 


make  the  heat  very  different  in  the  same  latitude,  and  since  it  is  not 
always  such  as  from  the  distance  of  the  sun  we  might  expect,  it  is 
difficult  to  determine  precisely  the  seasons  and  temperature  of  every 
country. 

The  vicinage  of  the  sea  renders  the  climate  milder,  of  which  Eng- 
land and  the  coasts  of  Norway  are  undoubted  proofs.  The  sea  may 
sometimes  be  frozen  near  the  shore,  when  the  influx  of  fresh  water  is 
great ;  but  this  does  not  take  place  at  any  great  distance  from  land, 
both  on  account  of  the  quantity  of  salt  contained  in  the  sea,  and  its 
continual  agitation.  Thus,  the  sea  never  being  cooled  down  to  the 
freezing  point  during  the  winter,  the  adjacent  countries  enjoy  a 
milder  temperature.  The  more  a  place  is  elevated  above  the  surface 
of  the  sea,  the  greater  is  its  degree  of  cold.  The  air  is  not  only  more 
rare,  and  colder,  but  the  greatest  part  of  the  heat  caused  by  the  re- 
flection of  the  sun's  rays  by  the  earth  does  not  fall  upon  high  hills, 
but  remains  in  the  plains,  and  in  these  the  heat  is  always  the  greatest. 
Quito  is  almost  under  the  line,  but  from  its  great  elevation,  the  heat 
is  very  moderate  ;  such  countries  have  generally  a  light  and  serene 
air,  and  a  pretty  equal  temperature. 

High  mountains  attract  the  clouds  ;  hence  it  happens,  that  rain 
and  storms  are  more  frequent  in  mountainous  countries  than  in  other 
places  ;  and  it  has  been  observed,  that  it  seldom  rains  in  the  deserts 
of  Arabia.  Countries  which  abound  in  extensive  forests  are  gene- 
rally cold ;  the  ice  melts  there  more  slowly  during  the  winter,  be- 
cause the  shade  of  the  trees  impedes  the  action  of  the  sun's  rays. 
The  ice  cools  the  superior  portion  of  air,  and  thus  retards  the  thaw. 

In  warm  climates  also  the  heat  is  rendered  more  temperate  by  the 
days  there  not  being  very  long,  and  the  sun  not  continuing  a  great 
while  above  the  horizon.  In  colder  countries  the  days  in  summer 
are  very  long,  which  occasions  the  heat  to  be  greater.  The  serenity 
of  the  sky,  the  clear  light  of  the  moon,  and  the  continuance  of  twi- 
light, render  long  nights  very  supportable.  In  the  torrid  zone  the 
seasons  are  not  distinguished  so  much  by  summer  and  winter  as  by 
dry,  moist,  or  rainy  weather  ;  for  when  it  ought  to  be  summer,  or 
when  the  sun  rises  to  its  greatest  height  above  the  horizon,  and  his 
rays  fall  in  the  most  direct  manner  possible,  the  rains  set  in,  and  con- 
tinue for  a  longer  or  a  shorter  time.  In  these  countries,  the  most 
pleasant  season  is  that  in  which  the  sun  is  at  his  least  elevation.  In 
the  countries  beyond,  the  weather  is  more  uncertain  than  in  those 
within  the  tropics.  In  spring  and  autumn  the  winds  are  most  preva- 
lent. In  winter  the  earth  is  frozen  more  or  less  deep,  though  sel- 
dom in  our  climate  beyond  three  feet ;  in  more  northerly  climates 
it  freezes  much  deeper,  and  only  thaws  a  few  feet  during  the  summer. 

In  all  these  arrangements  the  operation  of  admirable  wisdom  and 
goodness  is  manifest.  In  thus  regulating  the  seasons,  and  the  tem- 
perature of  different  countries,  the  Creator  has  rendered  every  part 
of  the  earth  fit  to  be  inhabited  by  hving  creatures.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  most  remote  regions  enjoy  as  much  felicity  as  is  consistent 
with  their  nature  ;  every  country  has  advantages  and  disadvantages, 
52*  3  5C 


378 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


which  so  nearly  balance  each  other,  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine 
which  country  deserves  the  preference  ;  and  there  is  no  one  place  on 
the  surface  of  the  globe  where  the  bounty  of  God  is  not  manifested. 
From  our  climate  to  the  most  distant  zones  his  goodness  is  every 
where  displayed.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  universe  experience  his 
paternal  love.  None  of  his  creatures  are  forgotten.  All  that  breathe 
derive  from  him  life,  nourishment,  joy,  and  happiness. 


OCTOBER  XVI. 

ATMOSPHERE  OF  THE  EARTH. 

The  air  with  which  the  earth  is  surrounded  is  not  so  pure  and 
subtile  as  the  ether,  being  impregnated  with  a  multitude  of  particles 
and  exhalations  w^hich  are  continually  detached  from  the  earth  and 
the  waters.  The  air  thus  blended  forms  the  atmosphere.  Its  inferior 
region,  or  that  which  is  next  the  earth,  is  compressed  by  the  superior 
stratum  of  air,  and  is  consequently  more  dense.  The  proof  of  this 
is  ascertained  by  those  people  who  ascend  high  mountains:  their 
respiration  becomes  more  painful  and  difficult  in  proportion  to  their 
ascent.  It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  exact  height  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, because  we  cannot  ascend  very  high  in  the  air  ;  neither  can  it 
be  inferred  with  certainty,  from  the  duration  of  twilight,  how  far  the 
mass  of  air  extends.  Granting  that  the  morning  twihght  begins  and 
that  of  the  evening  terminates  when  the  sun  is  eighteen  degrees  below 
the  horizon,  and  that  the  latter  twihght  is  produced  by  the  rays  which 
strike  upon  the  earth  and  are  reflected  by  the  most  elevated  parts  of 
the  atmosphere,  many  difficulties  will  yet  remain  to  be  explained. 
How^ever  this  may  be,  the  atmosphere  is  divided  into  three  regions. 
The  lower  region  extends  from  the  eai  th  to  that  place  wehere  the  air 
is  no  longer  heated  by  the  rays  reflected  from  the  earth.  This  region 
is  the  warmest.  The  middle  region  begins  where  the  preceding  one 
terminates,  and  reaches  to  the  summit  of  the  highest  mountains,  or 
even  to  the  most  elevated  clouds,  and  is  the  place  where  rain,  hail, 
and  snow  are  formed.  This  region  is  much  colder  than  the  lower 
one,  for  it  is  only  warmed  by  the  rays  which  pass  directly  through  it. 
The  third  region  is  still  colder,  and  extends  from  the  middle  one  to  the 
utmost  limits  of  the  atmosphere  ;  these  boundaries,  however,  are  not 
exactly  ascertained. 

The  particles  which  rise  from  the  earth  into  the  atmosphere  are  of 
different  kinds  ;  there  are  aqueous,  earthy,  metallic,  and  sulphurous 
particles,  with  many  others.  As  some  of  these  are  more  abundant  in 
certain  districts  than  in  others,  there  results  a  great  diversity  in  the 
air,  and  the  difference  is  evident  even  at  a  small  elevation.  Heavy 
air  is  more  favourable  to  the  health  than  that  which  is  light.  When 
the  air  is  dense  it  is  commonly  serene,  whilst  a  light  air  is  generally 
accompanied  with  clouds,  rain,  or  snow. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  379 

An  air  too  dry  is  very  injurious  to  the  human  body  ;  but  this  is  sel- 
dom experienced,  except  in  sandy  countries.  A  very  moist  air  is 
equally  unwholesome,  by  relaxing  the  system,  and  impeding  the 
insensible  perspiration.  When  the  air  is  very  hot,  great  languor  and 
debility  are  produced,  with  copious  perspiration  ;  and  when  it  is  very 
cold,  rigidity,  obstructions,  and  inflammations,  are  the  consequences. 
The  most  salubrious  air  is  that  which  is  in  a  just  medium  between  all 
these  extremes. 

It  is  in  the  atmosphere  that  clouds,  rain,  snow,  hail,  dew,  thunder, 
and  various  meteors  are  engendered.  To  the  atmosphere  Ave  owe  the 
morning  and  evening  twihght ;  as  the  rays  of  light  are  refracted  and 
reflected,  and  bent  in  different  directions  in  this  volume  of  air,  we  see 
them  before  the  sun  rises,  and  enjoy  them  some  time  after  he  is  set. 
Hence  those  people  who  live  under  the  polar  circles  enjoy  during  the 
winter  some  rays  of  light,  even  while  the  sun  is  yet  below  the  horizon. 
The  atmosphere  is  the  habitation  of  the  winds,  which  have  so  much 
influence  upon  the  fertility  of  the  earth  and  the  health  of  man.  If 
the  air  was  to  be  in  a  state  of  uninterrupted  serenity,  cities  and  pro- 
vinces would  soon  be  deprived  of  their  inhabitants,  and  exchange 
their  gayety  for  the  dreariness  of  a  desert ;  if  occasional  storms  and 
tempests  did  not  sometimes  rage,  and  by  their  ebullitions  agitate  the 
calm  air,  the  whole  world  would  become  one  vast  sepulchre,  in  which 
every  living  creature  would  moulder  into  annihilation. 

What  great  reason,  then,  have  we  to  bless  and  to  adore  our  heavenly 
Father  for  this  happy  arrangement  of  nature  ;  and  to  acknowledge 
with  awe  and  reverence  that  wisdom  which  has  regulated  and  directed 
the  vast  machinery  of  the  universe,  for  the  greatest  possible  felicity  of 
every  being  which  enjoys  life,  reason,  or  instinct ! 


OCTOBER  XVII. 

PROPORTION  BETWEEN  BIRTHS  AND  DEATHS. 

That  God  has  not  abandoned  to  blind  chance  the  lives  of  men  and 
the  preservation  of  the  human  race,  but  that  he  watches  over  them 
with  paternal  care,  is  evident  from  the  exact  proportion  in  which,  in 
all  ages  and  countries,  men  enter  and  quit  the  stage  of  existence  ;  so 
that  the  earth  is  neither  destitute  nor  too  full  of  inhabitants. 

The  number  of  births  generally  exceeds  that  of  deaths  ;  for  it  has 
been  calculated  that  if  ten  persons  die  annually,  twelve  or  thirteen 
are  born.  T:hus  the  human  race  is  continually  multiplying.  If  this 
was  not  to  be  the  case,  and  the  proportion  of  deaths  exceeded  that  of 
births,  a  country  would  be  depopulated  in  a  few  centuries,  particularly 
as  the  population  of  a  country  may  be  affected  by  various  accidents. 
The  principal  obstacles  to  the  increase  of  the  human  species  are  war, 
pestilence,  and  famine,  celibacy,  and  crowded  cities,  where  at  least  as 
many  people  die  as  are  born. 


•4» 


380  STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 

Baptismal  registers  prove  that  more  males  than  females  are  born, 
the  proportion  being  nearly  twenty-one  to  twenty;  but  war,  death, 
and  various  accidents  to  which  men  are  exposed,  preserve  an  equality 
between  the  sexes :  in  towns  females  are  even  more  numerous,  but 
in  the  country  the  males  preponderate. 

The  number  of  children  relatively  to  that  of  families  is  also  regu- 
lated with  the  greatest  wisdom.  In  sixty-six  famihes  it  is  computed 
that  only  ten  children  are  annually  baptized.  Out  of  fifty  or  fifty-four 
persons  in  a  populous  country  only  one  marries  each  year,  and  each 
marriage,  taking  one  with  another,  produces  four  children ;  but  in  large 
towns  only  thirty-five  children  are  reckoned  to  ten  marriages.  Men 
capable  of  bearing  arms  generally  constitute  the  fourth  part  of  the 
inhabitants  of  a  country. 

By  comparing  the  bills  of  mortality  of  different  countries,  it  is  found, 
that  in  those  years  which  are  not  remarkable  for  any  destructive  dis- 
order, such  as  an  epidemic,  there  dies  in  villages,  out  of  forty  people, 
one  ;  in  small  towns,  one  out  of  thirty-two  ;  in  middling-sized  towns 
one  in  twenty-eight ;  in  very  populous  tow^ns  or  cities,  one  in  twenty- 
four  ;  and  in  a  whole  province,  one  out  of  thirty-six.  Out  of  a  thousand 
people  twenty-eight  armually  die.  Of  a  hundred  children  that  yearly 
die,  three  are  always  stillborn  ;  but  scarcely  one  in  two  hundred  dies 
in  the  birth.  Of  the  hundred  and  fifteen  women  who  die,  only  one 
dies  in  childbed  ;  and  out  of  four  hundred  deaths,  only  one  happens 
in  labour. 

The  greatest  mortality  among  children  is  within  the  first  year  ;  out 
of  a  thousand  infants,  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  die  before  they 
have  obtained  a  year's  growth  ;  but  between  the  first  and  second  year 
of  their  age,  only  eighty  out  of  a  thousand  die  ;  and  in  the  thirteenth, 
fourteenth,  and  fifteenth  year,  the  number  of  deaths  is  so  small  as  not 
to  exceed  two  in  a  thousand.  This,  then,  is  the  period  of  life  in  which 
there  is  least  danger.  It  has  been  observed,  that  more  women  than 
men  have  attained  to  the  age  of  from  seventy  to  ninety  years ;  but 
that  more  men  than  women  pass  their  ninetieth  year,  and  reach  a  hun- 
dred. At  least  three  thousand  millions  of  people  may  live  at  the 
same  time  upon  the  earth  ;  but  there  is  scarcely  one  third  of  that 
number,  or,  at  the  most,  one  thousand  and  eighty  millions :  of  these 
six  hundred  and  fifty  milhons  are  in  Asia,  one  hundred  and  fifty  mil- 
lions in  Africa,  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  America,  and  one  hundred 
and  thirty  millions  in  Europe. 

The  most  natural  inference  to  be  drawn  from  all  this  is,  that  God 
has  the  most  tender  solicitude  for  the  life  of  man,  and  that  he  regards 
it  as  being  very  precious ;  for  if  the  divine  wisdom  had  not  operated, 
how  could  the  proportion  between  births  and  deaths  be  so  equally 
jmaintained,  and  so  admirably  preserved  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  ? 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


381 


OCTOBER  XVIII. 

RAVAGES  IN  THE  KINGDOM  OF  NATURE. 

We  now  see  that  even  beautiful  nature,  which  in  spring  ravished 
our  senses,  and  procured  us  so  many  diversified  pleasures,  is  subjected 
to  the  law  common  to  all  created  things.  Its  beauties  begin  to  dis- 
appear, and  every  day  brings  new  changes,  each  one  more  gloomy 
than  the  last.  Such  is  the  lot  of  nature,  that  it  contains  in  itself  the 
sources  of  the  most  afflicting  devastations. 

What  ravages  are  occasioned  by  the  overflowing  of  seas  and  rivers, 
heavy  rains,  and  the  melting  of  ice  and  snow  !  Whole  villages  inun- 
dated, fruit-trees  torn  up,  corn-fields  desolated,  and  flocks  destroyed, 
present  to  us  the  sad  monuments  of  the  destructive  force  of  the  ele- 
ments. A  shipwreck  appears  to  be  a  less  fatal  catastrophe  !  yet  some 
new  commonwealth  might  have  been  formed  by  the  men  thus  en- 
tombed in  the  deep ;  and  immense  sums,  the  collection  of  ages,  are 
lost  in  a  moment.  Whole  families  are  ruined  by  a  shipwreck.  The 
aspect  of  the  ocean  perturbed  by  a  storm,  its  billows  swelling  with 
rage,  and  white  with  foam ;  the  piercing  cries  of  the  fear-struck 
mariners,  and  the  crash  of  the  vessel  against  some  hidden  rock,  are 
dreadfully  terrific  ! 

The  calamities  occasioned  by  a  long  drought  and  intense  heat  are 
also  very  great.  Herbs  and  plants  languish,  the  earth  is  dried  up,  and 
we  are  nearly  stifled  with  burning  dust.  The  waters  become  putrid, 
and  form  a  fatal  drink  for  the  drooping  herds.  Heat  and  putrefaction 
prodigiously  multiply  insects,  which  destroy  every  thing,  eat  up  the 
produce  of  the  fields,  and  if  they  die  to-day,  revive  to-morrow  in  new 
generations.  Famine,  that  terrible  precursor  of  death,  marches  with 
hasty  strides,  and  pestilence  speedily  follows.  One  year's  barrenness, 
a  war,  or  a  contagious  disease,  may  occasion  all  these  evils. 

What  terrible  chasms  and  ravages  are  occasioned  by  an  earth- 
quake !  Far  within  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  the  pestilential  vapours 
are  extricated  by  a  destructive  fire,  which  carries  with  it  death  and 
dismay.  Suddenly,  and  often  at  the  dead  of  night,  when  nature  is 
wrapt  in  sleep,  the  earth  bellows  and  shakes,  opens,  and  swallows  up 
thousands  of  people,  who  are  thus  summoned,  without  time  for  repent- 
ance, before  the  throne  of  the  Almighty  !  At  the  awful  spectacle  of 
nature,  convulsed  by  earthquakes  and  volcanoes,  we  may  justly  say, 
how  imperfect  is  every  thing  but  the  Creator  himself !  Many  people 
pay  that  adoration  to  nature  which  they  owe  to  God,  and  forget  that 
it  is  he  who  gives  every  beauty  and  pleasure  which  we  enjoy  in  nature. 
Let  us  learn  the  true  condition  of  all  terrestrial  things,  and  acknow- 
ledge the  advantages  that  the  love  of  God  has  over  every  thing  to 
which  our  hearts  can  be  attached.  To  experience  delight  in  the  con- 
templation of  his  august  attributes,  to  enjoy  a  portion  of  his  grace,  and 
to  feel  that  he  is  our  sovereign  good,  is  to  triumph  over  all  the  desola- 
tions of  nature.    What  can  be  more  proper  to  increase  our  love  and 


582 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


our  gratitude  for  liim  than  to  call  to  mind  those  calamities,  which  his 
wisdom  converts  into  hlessings  1  These  apparent  deracinations  of 
natiire  prevent  much  more  fatal  evils,  which  would  certainly  take 
place,  if  the  destructive  matters,  fires,  and  vapours,  were  to  remain 
enclosed  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Volcanoes  and  inundations  often 
present  to  us  the  most  terrible  calamities  :  burning  heats  consume  the 
earth  in  one  place,  whilst  in  another  it  is  deluged  with  water.  Pes- 
tilence and  famine  sweep  off  a  number  of  wicked  people  from  the 
earth  ;  and  the  extraordinary  mortality  which  sometimes  prevails 
among  men  is  a  very  wise  means  to  preserve  their  number  in  due  pro- 
portion, and  to  prevent  their  population  being  too  great. 

When  we  are  merely  spectators  of  the  devastations  v/hich  some- 
times happen,  and  are  not  directly  interested  in  them,  our  gratitude  to 
the  Supreme  Being  who  has  spared  us  should  be  marked  by  our 
sentiments  of  compassion  and  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate  sufferers. 
We  should  never  be  insensible  to  the  misfortunes  of  our  fellow-crea-  * 
tures,  nor  hear  with  indifTerence  the  recital  of  calamities,  however 
remote  are  the  people  who  suffered.  In  the  immense  chain  of  mun- 
dane events,  there  is  not  a  single  hnk  with  which  we  have  not  some 
connexion,  more  or  less  distant.  Were  the  unfortunate  people  who 
have  experienced  so  many  disasters  greater  sinners  than  ourselves  ? 
Why  are  they  fallen,  whilst  we  yet  remain  ?  Are  the  regions  we 
inhabit  less  contaminated  by  crimes  than  those  countries  where  earth- 
quakes and  volcanoes  make  such  extensive  ravages  1  The  final 
catastrophe  of  nature  will  be  still  more  terrible  to  us.  The  world  is 
not  eternal ;  after  having  experienced  a  succession  of  every  species  of 
calamity,  the  period  of  its  utter  destruction  will  arrive.  Nature  now 
flourishes,  but  visibly  grows  older.  It  is  only  by  force,  industry,  and 
labour,  that  we  now  obtain  from  her  what  she  spontaneously  produced 
to  our  ancestors,  and  what  they  gathered  without  trouble.  Perish  then, 
thou  earth,  the  place  of  our  pilgrimage,  since  to  perish  is  thy  destiny  ! 
We  have  here  no  continuing  city;  let  us,  therefore,  seek  and  know 
the  city  which  is  to  come,  w4iere  lives  the  eternal  God  in  the  midst 
of  the  children  of  holiness. 

How  I  mourn  over  you,  ye  cities  and  desolated  villages  !  How  my 
soul  longs  to  fly  to  your  assistance,  to  deliver  you  from  bondage,  and 
to  divide  my  bread  with  your  unfortunate  inhabitants  ?  Humble  your- 
selves, ye  afl3icted,  under  the  mighty  arm  of  God,  and  bear  with  pa- 
tience the  trials  to  which  he  subjects  you.  Remember  your  brethren 
who  have  experienced  similar  misfortunes.  They  who  have  been  your 
companions  in  misfortune  have  now  their  wounds  healed,  and  their 
burned  houses  changed  into  palaces. 

To  destroy  and  to  create  is,  and  will  be,  to  the  end  of  time,  the 
prerogative  of  God.  If  he  never  destroyed,  we  should  not  behold  new 
creatures ;  we  should  not  have  occasion  for  acts  of  resignation  and 
patience ;  we  should  not  sufficiently  feel  the  value  of  that  religion 
which  strengthens  us  in  prosperity,  consoles  us  in  adversity,  and 
makes  us  superior  to  misfortune. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


383 


OCTOBER  XIX. 

CIRCULATION  OF  THE  BLOOD. 

Of  all  the  changes  which  take  place  in  the  animal  body,  none  are 
more  important  and  mysterious  than  the  circulation  of  the  blood. 
There  is  in  this  motion  a  striking  grandeur,  which  makes  us  feel  the 
limits  of  the  human  understanding,  and  inspires  us  with  a  profound 
admiration  for  the  supreme  intelligence  of  our  Creator. 

The  blood  continually  circulates  in  our  bodies  :  the  heart,  which  is 
the  principal  organ  of  circulation,  is  placed  within  the  breast,  between 
the  two  lobes  of  the  lungs;  it  is  a  fleshy  substance,  and  has  two  cavi- 
ties, which  are  separated  from  each  other  by  a  valve.  The  heart  is 
in  continual  motion,  alternately  contracting  and  dilating.  From  the 
left  ventricle  a  large  artery  called  the  aorta,  proceeds,  and  soon  divides 
into  several  branches,  which  ascend  and  descend  by  innumerable 
ramifications,  become  smaller  as  they  proceed,  and  penetrate  every 
part  of  the  body.  When  the  light  ventricle  contracts,  the  blood  is 
propelled  into  the  arteries  with  so  much  force,  that  it  reaches  the 
minutest  extremities  of  their  most  remote  ramifications.  This  motion 
is  called  the  pulse,  which  is  merely  the  effect  of  the  pulsation  of  the 
heart,  and  is  quicker  or  slower  according  to  the  frequency  of  its  con- 
tractions. When  the  blood  arrives  at  the  extremities  of  the  arteries 
distributed  through  the  body,  nature  employs  it  in  the  wisest  manner. 
Certain  vessels  absorb  the  watery,  oily,  and  saline  parts.  In  some 
parts  of  the  body,  where  the  arteries  are  distributed,  the  secretion  of 
milk,  fat,  and  various  fluids  is  performed.  The  remaining  portion  of 
blood  flows  into  the  extremities  of  the  veins,  in  a  manner  that,  with 
the  aid  of  a  microscope,  we  can  very  distinctly  perceive;  the  red 
globules  rolling  one  after  another.  These  vessels  gradually  enlarge 
in  size  till  they  form  very  large  tubes,  which  return  the  blood  back  to 
the  right  ventricle  of  the  heart. 

The  blood  is  then  propelled  into  the  pulmonary  artery,  which  dis- 
perses it  through  the  lungs  by  inmnnerable  small  branches.  It  is 
there  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  air,  is  afterward  received  by  the 
puhnonary  veins,  and  by  them  is  conveyed  to  the  left  auricle  of  the 
heart.  Thifi  contracts  and  sends  it  into  the  left  ventricle,  which  also 
contracting,  pushes  it  into  the  aorta,  whence  it  circulates  through 
every  part  of  the  body. 

Such  is  the  admirable  circulation  of  the  blood  in  man  and  most 
animals.  But  there  is  still  much  obscurity  in  this  interesting  subject. 
We  meet  with  wonders  here,  that  prove  how  incapable  the  human 
mind  is  of  explaining  this  work  of  divine  wisdom.  How  wonderful 
it  is  that  the  motion  of  the  heart  continues  unmterruptedly  for  seventy, 
eighty,  or  even  a  hundred  years,  without  that  dehcate  organ  decaying, 
or  being  out  of  place !  The  circulation  of  the  blood  is  performed 
twenty-four  times  every  hour :  consequently,  in  twenty-four  hours, 
this  operation  is  performed  five  hundred  and  seventy-six  times ;  and. 


384 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


as  at  each  pulsation  the  heart  propels  two  ounces  of  blood  into  the 
aorta,  it  will  be  found  that  in  the  space  of  an  hour,  there  passes  through 
the  heart  six  hundred  pounds  of  blood.  This  alone  is  sufficient  to 
excite  our  astonishment ;  but  how  many  wonderful  things  besides  take 
place  in  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  of  which  we  have  very  imperfect 
ideas  1  In  short,  man,  whose  dominion  over  the  world  every  thing 
acknowledges,  is  a  marvellous  piece  of  workmanship.  The  most 
admirable  mechanism  and  corporeal  beauty  are  united  in  him  ;  each 
of  his  members  declares  that  he  is  lord  of  the  creation.  An  innumer- 
able multitude  of  invisible  tubes,  fashioned  and  arranged  in  a  manner 
that  infinitely  surpasses  human  art  and  human  wisdom,  conduct,  and 
every  where  throughout  the  body  distribute,  and  uninterruptedly 
circulate,  the  precious  life-sustaining  fluid.  In  this  universal  motion, 
this  continual  ebbing  and  flowing,  every  thing  is  regular  and  admirably 
directed;  every  thing  is  in  its  place  in  the  most  perfect  harmony; 
nothing  is  discordant,  nothing  clashes,  nothing  impedes,  and  nothing 
precipitates  its  course. 

The  same  admirable  circulation  that  we  observe  in  animals  obtains 
throughout  nature.  The  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stars,  perform  their 
appointed  revolutions  with  a  determinate  and  uniform  motion.  There 
is  even  a  continual  circulation  in  the  elements;  the  air  is  not  only  in 
perpetual  motion,  since  it  never  ceases  to  circulate  round  the  earth, 
but  water  also  continues  its  course  without  cessation.  The  rivers 
pour  their  streams  into  the  sea,  and  from  the  vast  surface  of  the  ocean 
vapours  arise  which  form  clouds;  these  are  precipitated  in  showers, 
which  penetrating  the  mountains,  form  springs  of  water  that  insensibly 
increase  till  they  swell  into  rivers,  and  again  return  to  the  parent 
ocean. 

The  earth,  ever  fertile,  annually  produces  flowers  and  fruits,  and 
yet  is  never  exhausted,  because  the  continual  circulation  of  the  nutri- 
tive juices  repairs  its  losses,  and  restores  to  it  again  what  it  has  given 
to  us.  All  these  revolutions  of  nature  bring  us  to  a  first  cause,  which 
has  so  arranged  the  world,  that  all  beings  are  continually  in  action, 
circulate,  move,  and  act  in  an  insensible  labyrinth  of  changes,  till 
they  return  to  their  original  place,  and  commence  again  the  course 
which  was  prescribed  to  them. 


OCTOBER  XX. 

PROPORTION  OF  VARIOUS  PARTS  OF  THE  HUMAN  BODY. 

God  has  formed  the  human  body  according  to  the  wisest  rules,  and 
he  has  established  the  most  exact  proportion  even  in  the  minutest 
parts.  To  be  convinced  of  this,  we  have  only  to  calculate  the  height 
and  the  bulk  of  the  human  body  from  certain  specific  measures.  The 
height  of  the  body  is  generally  divided  into  ten  equal  parts,  which  in 
technical  language  are  called  faces,  because  the  human  face  was  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


385 


first  model  of  these  measures.  The  first  face  comprehends  the  whole 
of  the  visage,  beginning  at  the  root  of  the  hair  on  the  forehead;  from 
which  point  to  the  summit  of  the  head  there  is  still  one-third  of  the 
face  in  height,  or  what  is  the  same  thing,  a  space  equal  to  the  length 
of  the  nose ;  so  that,  from  the  crown  of  the  head  to  the  point  of  the 
chin,  there  is  the  length  of  one  face  and  a  third.  Between  the  bot- 
tom of  the  chin  and  the  hollow  of  the  clavicles,  just  above  the  breast, 
there  is  two-thirds  of  a  face :  thus  the  length  from  above  the  breast 
to  the  crown  of  the  head  is  twice  that  of  the  face,  which  is  the  fifth 
part  of  the  whole  length  of  the  body.  From  the  hollow  between  the 
collar-bones  to  the  bottom  of  the  breast  is  reckoned  one  face.  Below 
the  breast  begins  the  fourth  face,  which  ends  at  the  navel ;  and  the 
fifth  extends  to  the  pubis,  which  makes  altogether  half  the  length  of 
the  body.  Two  faces  are  reckoned  from  the  beginning  of  the  thigh 
to  the  knee,  which  last  makes  half  a  face.  There  are  two  faces  in 
the  length  of  the  leg,  from  below  the  knee  to  the  instep,  which  in  the 
whole  makes  nine  faces  and  a  half ;  and  from  the  instep  to  the  sole 
of  the  foot  there  is  half  a  face,  which  completes  the  ten  faces,  into 
which  the  height  of  the  human  body  has  been  divided. 

This  division  has  been  made  for  men  in  general,  but  in  those  who 
are  of  greater  stature  than  usual,  about  half  a  face  more  is  found  in 
that  part  of  the  body  which  is  between  the  chest  and  the  pubis ;  and 
it  is  the  superior  length  in  this  place  which  constitutes  a  proper  size. 

When  the  arms  are  extended,  so  as  to  form  a  straight  horizontal 
line,  the  distance  between  the  extremities  of  the  middle  fingers  of  each 
hand  is  equal  to  the  length  of  the  w^iole  body.  From  the  hollow 
between  the  collar-bones  to  the  joint  that  unites  the  shoulder-bone  to 
the  arm  is  one  face  length.  When  the  arm  depends  all  its  length,  it 
is  computed  at  four  faces;  two  between  the  shoulder  and  the  extre- 
mity of  the  elbow,  and  two  more  from  the  elbow  to  the  tip  of  the  little 
finger,  which  makes  five  faces  for  each  arm;  consequently,  the  length 
of  both  equals  that  of  the  whole  body.  The  hand  is  one  face  long  ; 
the  thumb  the  third  of  a  face,  which  is  also  the  length  of  the  great  toe  ; 
the  length  of  the  sole  of  the  foot  is  equal  to  a  sixth  part  of  the  height 
of  the  whole  body.  The  bulk  of  the  body  and  of  the  Hmbs  have  also 
their  measures.  The  thickness  of  the  finger  is  generally  the  thirty- 
sixth  part  of  its  length ;  that  of  the  little  finger  is  the  forty-eighth  part ; 
three  times  the  thickness  of  the  thumb  gives  that  of  the  hand,  and  six 
times  the  thickness  of  the  hand  equals  that  of  the  whole  body. 

The  height  of  the  human  body  varies  considerably.  The  most 
perfect  stature  is  from  five  feet  five  to  five  feet  nine  inches :  the 
middle  size  is  from  five  feet  and  an  inch  to  five  feet  four,  and  the 
little  size  is  below  five  feet.  Women  are  generally  two  or  three 
inches  shorter  than  men.  Their  breast  is  more  prominent  and  ele- 
vated, so  that  generally  the  capacity  of  the  chest  formed  by  the  ribs 
is  deeper  in  women,  and  broader  in  men,  in  proportion  to  the  rest  of 
the  body.  The  hips  of  women  are  much  wider  than  those  of  men, 
the  bones  wliich  form  the  pelvis  being  much  larger. 

Man  has  a  greater  proportion  of  brain  than  any  animal  of  the  same 
33 


386 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS, 


dimensions,  even  more  than  the  horse  or  the  ox.  A  man  that  weighs 
a  liundred  pounds  has  usually  four  pounds  of  brain.  Infants  born  at 
their  proper  time  generally  weigh  at  the  most  eight  pounds,  and  at 
the  least  five  pounds  ;  their  greatest  length  is  one  foot  eleven  inches, 
and  the  least  one  foot  six  inches. 

The  human  body  considered  asaw^hole,or  in  its  parts  separately,  will 
appear  to  be  formed  in  the  exactest  proportion.^  Every  thing  in  it  is 
regular,  and  arranged  with  the  greatest  harmony,  both  with  respect 
to  its  size  and  figure  ;  and  the  situation  of  the  parts  themselves,  not 
one  of  which  is  greater  or  less  than  the  connexions  it  has  with  the 
other  parts,  and  the  general  utility  of  the  machine,  require.  No  form 
or  situation  can  be  imagined  more  suitable  to  each  part,  or  more  advan- 
tageous to  the  whole  of  the  members.  Though  some  varieties  and 
irregularities  may  appear,  such  as  monsters  and  deformed  men,  they 
do  not  at  all  destroy  the  principal  design  of  the  body.  But  if  certain 
disproportions  in  the  size,  figure,  and  position  of  the  parts  be  conso- 
nant with  the  great  end  for  which  the  body  was  formed,  they  cer- 
tainly diminish  the  beauty  and  elegance  of  the  form,  and  the  graces 
of  the  exterior.  How  grateful,  then,  ought  well-formed  persons 
to  be,  and  those  whose  limbs  are  moulded  in  just  and  beautiful  sym- 
metry ! 


OCTOBER  XXL 

NAVIGATION. 

To  reflecting  minds,  the  subject  of  navigation  may  give  rise  to  very 
important  and  pleasing  meditations.  At  the  same  time  that  our  curi- 
osity is  interested  and  gratified,  we  gain  a  new  source  of  pleasure. 
We  ought  not  only  to  regard  navigation  on  account  of  the  advantages 
which  it  procures  us,  but  we  ought  also  to  regard  the  mechanical 
part  and  the  motion  of  ships. 

Is  it  not  truly  astonishing  that  so  huge  and  heavy  a  mass  as  a  ship 
can  float  upon  the  water  1  The  weight  of  a  ship  is  very  great,  and 
little  attention  is  requisite  to  convince  us  that  its  pressure  on  the 
water  must  be  prodigious.  A  man-of-war,  whose  complement  of 
men  is  eight  hundred,  generally  carries  provisions  enough  to  supply 
them  with  nourishment  for  the  space  of  three  months,  and  mounts 
from  seventy  to  a  hundred  guns.  Now  allowing  each  man  to  weigh 
one  hundred  pounds  weight,  and  each  gun  nine  hundred,  (though 
some  weigh  more  than  4000  lbs.)  and  supposing  that  each  man  con- 
sumes only  three  pounds  weight  of  provisions  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  this  very  moderate  calculation  will,  however,  make  a  totality  of 
more  than  three  hundred  thousand  pounds.  Besides  this,  we  should 
reckon  the  weight  of  the  vessel  itself,  the  rigging,  and  a  great  store 
of  materials  necessary  to  keep  the  ship  in  repair,  and  powder  and  ball 
for  the  guns ;  all  which  equal,  if  not  exceed,  the  preceding  amount. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


3S7 


Yet  this  enormous  mass,  of  upwards  of  six  hundred  thousand  pounds 
weight,  is  put  in  motion  by  a  gentle  breeze.  Does  not  this  appear 
inconceivable,  and  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature  1  It  is,  however, 
perfectly  natural,  and  should  the  contrary  happen  it  would  be  very 
extraordinary.  It  is  not  altogether  the  wind  that  drives  along  this 
mass  ;  the  ship,  with  its  whole  cargo,  swims  in  the  water.  But  how 
does  so  heavy  a  body  float  ?  How  can  the  water,  whose  particles  do 
not  adhere  together,  have  force  enough  to  support  such  a  mass?  It 
is  the  eflfect  of  a  proper  balance  :  the  vessel  sinks  till  the  volume  of 
water  which  it  displaces  is  equal  to  it  in  bulk.  Suppose  the  ship  is 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long  and  fifteen  broad,  and  that  it  sinks 
to  the  depth  of  two  feet,  that  is,  three  thousand  and  six  hundred  feet 
of  water,  or  so  much  cargo,  since  one  takes  the  place  of  the  other. 
Thus  the  river  is  not  more  burdened  with  the  vessel  than  it  was  with 
the  water  which  she  displaced. 

Formerly  navigation  was  much  more  dangerous  and  laborious  than 
it  is  at  present.  The  most  hardy  sailors  had  not  confidence  sufficient 
to  venture  far  out  in  the  open  sea,  but  confined  themselves  to  coasting 
along  the  shore.  Since  the  invention  of  the  compass,  they  cross  the 
seas  with  more  certainty  and  security.  Before  this  happy  discovery, 
to  make  a  short  sea  voyage  was  considered  as  very  wonderful.  In 
the  time  of  Homer  it  required  great  preparation  and  frequent  delibe- 
ration, before  his  heroes  could  determine  upon  crossing  the  Egean 
sea.  The  expedition  of  Jason  and  the  Argonautes,  to  the  island  of 
Colchis,  was  regarded  with  wonder,  as  an  exploit  that  would  crown 
the  achievers  of  it  with  immortal  honour.  But  what  were  all  these 
in  comparison  of  our  sea  voyages'?  The  compass  enables  us  to  per- 
form the  longest  voyages  :  the  magnetic  needle,  always  turning  to- 
wards the  north,  informs  the  navigator  of  the  regions  where  he  is, 
and  of  the  countries  to  which  he  directs  his  course.  In  the  gloom  of 
night,  in  cloudy  days,  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean,  this  instrument 
serves  him  as  a  guide,  and  leads  him  from  one  region  of  the  globe  to 
another. 

The  advantages  of  navigation  are  very  great,  and  deserve  our  ut- 
most gratitude  :  we  are  indebted  to  it  for  many  of  the  necessaries  of 
life.  Without  it  we  could  not  procure,  or  at  least  not  without  great 
diflliculty,  those  spices  and  medicines  \vhich  we  receive  from  diflferent 
countries.  It  would  be  extremely  inconvenient  to  have  all  our  neces- 
saries brought  by  land.  The  following  calculation  will  sufficiently 
prove  this  assertion.  The  freight  of  a  ship  is  reckoned  by  tons,  and 
many  ships  are  of  six  hundred  tons  burden  :  now  a  ton  is  equal  to 
two  thousand  pounds  weight.  Supposing  it  to  be  carried  by  land  in 
wagons  with  four  horses,  and  that  each  horse  would  draw  one  thou- 
sand weight,  three  hundred  four-horse  wagons  would  be  required, 
with  at  least  as  many  men,  to  transport  this  load.  How  dearly  then 
should  we  purchase  riches  from  distant  parts  of  the  world,  and  even 
some  of  the  most  necessary  things  of  life  !  We  ought  also  to  regard 
navigation  as  a  signal  blessing,  in  being  instrumental  in  the  hands  of 
God  to  the  promulgation  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  the  most  remote 


S88 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


countries  of  the  earth.  And  again,  we  whose  lot  is  not  that  of  daily 
braving-  the  waves  of  the  ocean,  and  exposing  our  hves  to  continual 
dangers,  to  obtain  wealth  or  to  procure  the  means  of  existence,  ought 
to  be  very  grateful  to  the  Almighty ;  and  whilst  secure  from  such 
perilous  encounters,  living  calmly  in  the  bosom  of  our  families,  we 
ought  to  offer  up  to  heaven  our  prayers  for  those  who  are  obliged  to 
traverse  the  ocean,  and  undertake  distant  voayges,  whether  for  their 
private  emolument  or  for  the  public  good. 


OCTOBER  XXII. 

BEASTS  OF  BURDEN. 

Animals  of  this  description  do  us  so  much  service,  and  are  so  ex- 
tremely useful,  that  they  well  deserve  a  particular  investigation.  We 
are  generally  satisfied  with  making  them  subservient  to  our  necessities, 
either  in  supplying  us  with,  food,  or  assisting  us  in  our  labours  w^itb 
their  strength  ;  while,  through  ignorance  or  indolence,  we  neglect  to 
consider  the  connexion  they  have  Avith  the  whole  creation,  and  to 
reflect  upon  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  the  Creator,  manifested  in 
the  production  of  these  useful  animals. 

Of  all  domestic  creatures,  the  horse  is  the  most  serviceable  and 
tractable.  He  suffers  himself  to  be  employed  in  cultivating  the  earth, 
he  carries  for  us  all  that  we  want,  he  submits  with  docility  to  all  kinds 
of  labour,  and  shares  with  us  the  pleasures  of  the  chase,  and  the 
dangers  of  war,  while  he  is  content  with  a  moderate  and  frugal  sup- 
ply of  food.  He  gives  up  his  own  being  to  exist  only  by  the  will  of 
another  ;  he  even  anticipates  the  commands  of  his  master,  which  he 
executes  with  w^onderful  promptitude  and  precision  ;  he  refuses  no- 
thing, exerts  all  his  strength,  and  sometimes  dies  in  the  act  of  obedi- 
ence. Nature  has  given  him  a  disposition  to  love  and  to  fear  man, 
with  a  sensibility  alive  to  the  caresses  wiiich  sweeten  his  slavery. 
The  horse  excels  all  other  animals  in  fineness  of  figure  and  beauty  of 
proportion.  The  elegant  S3^mmetry  of  his  shape,  and  Avell-formed 
limbs  ;  the  outline  of  his  head  and  neck,  give  him  a  quick  and  lively 
appearance,  admirably  contrasted  by  the  boldness  of  his  chest ;  his 
carriage  is  noble,  his  march  firm  and  majestic  ;  and  when  roused  to 
action,  every  limb  denotes  his  power  and  energ)^  every  muscle  shows 
his  activity,  and  his  defiance  of  danger  is  expressed  by  the  fire  of  his 
eye  and  the  thunder  of  his  nostrils. 

The  ox  is  far  from  having  the  graceful  elegance  of  the  horse  ;  his 
large  head,  his  legs  too  thin  and  short  in  proportion  to  the  bulk  of  his 
body,  the  smallness  of  his  ears,  his  stupid  look,  and  heavy  pace,  would 
seem  to  be  imperfections ;  but  he  amply  compensates  his  want  of 
beauty  by  the  important  services  which  he  renders  to  man.  He  is  so 
strong  that  he  readily  carries  very  heavy  burdens,  and  is  satisfied  with 
mean  fare.    Every  part  of  this  animal  is  useful ;  his  blood,  his  hide, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


389 


his  hoofs,  his  flesh,  and  his  horns,  &c.  are  all  employed  for  different 
purposes.  His  very  dung  is  a  most  excellent  manure  for  the  earth.  In 
this  animal  the  organs  of  digestion  are  very  remarkable :  he  has  four 
stomachs,  the  first  of  which  will  contain  forty  or  fifty  pounds  weight  of 
food;  the  third  stomach  has  eighty-eight  folds,  w4iich  assist  the  process 
of  digestion  :  whilst  the  stomach  of  sheep  and  goats  has  only  thirty-six. 

The  ass,  however  despised  and  unprepossessing  his  external  appear- 
ance may  be,  has  nevertheless  some  very  excellent  qualities,  and  is 
of  great  use.  He  is  not  impetuous  and  fiery,  like  the  horse,  but  quiet, 
simple,  and  well  tempered.  He  has  no  haughtiness,  goes  peaceably 
on  his  way,  and  bears  his  burden  without  noise  or  murmur ;  he  is 
temperate  both  in  the  quantity  and  in  the  quality  of  his  food,  being 
contented  with  thistles  and  the  commonest  herbs  ;  he  is  patient,  vi- 
gorous, indefatigable,  and  renders  his  master  the  most  important  and 
constant  services. 

How  can  we  daily  use  these  animals,  and  not  at  the  same  time 
tliink  upon  our  Creator,  who  has  formed  them,  and  given  them  pro- 
perties by  means  of  w^iich  they  become  so  useful  to  us  ?  It  is  worth 
the  attention  of  a  reflecting  mind  to  know  that  the  number  of  beasts 
of  burden  is  much  greater  than  that  of  wild  beasts.  Can  we,  without 
emotions  of  gratitude,  reflect  upon  the  goodness  of  God,  which  has 
given  us  supreme  dominion  over  these  creatures,  the  ability  of  ta- 
ming them,  and  converting  them  to  the  most  useful  purposes,  and  the 
power  of  enforcing  their  obedience  1  This  command  over  animals  is 
one  of  those  gifts  of  God  by  w^hich  man  may  every  moment  feel  the 
excellence  and  superiority  of  his  being.  Since,  then,  it  is  to  the 
Almighty  himself  that  we  owe  this  power  and  dominion,  how  ex- 
tremely unjust  it  would  be  to  abuse  it  by  our  ill  treatment  of  these 
creatures,  whether  in  overw^orking  them,  or  in  any  other  way  treat- 
ing them  harshly. 


OCTOBER  XXIII. 

WINTER  SEED-TIME. 

A  great  part  of  the  food  intended  for  the  use  of  man  and  other 
animals  is  at  this  time  committed  to  the  earth  ;  and  when  the  farmer 
has  sown  his  winter's  corn,  he  begins  to  enjoy  some  repose.  He  will 
soon  have  the  gratification  of  seeing  his  fields  spread  over  with  a 
beautiful  verdure,  giving  promise  of  a  plentiful  harvest.  Nature  is 
secretly  working  whilst  the  germ  is  unfolding;  her  operations  may 
be  discovered  by  extracting  from  the  earth  some  of  the  grains  which 
are  beginning  to  germinate.  Two  days  after  a  seed  has  been  sown, 
the  juices  which  make  it  swell  are  conveyed  to  the  germ,  and  cause 
it  to  sprout.  The  germ  is  always  placed  at  one  of  the  extremities  of 
the  seed ;  and  that  part  of  the  germ  which  is  nearest  the  outside 
becomes  the  radical  of  the  future  plant,  while  that  part  which  is 
33» 


> 


390  STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 

towards  the  interior  of  the  substance  of  the  seed  becomes  the  stem, 
and  the  head  of  the  plant.  Twenty-four  hours  after  the  corn  has 
been  sown,  the  germ,  which  begins  to  pierce  the  coat  of  the  grain, 
and  to  disengage  itself,  puts  forth  its  root  and  stalk  ;  the  root  is  at  first 
enveloped  in  a  sheath,  which  it  bursts.  a  few  days  other  roots 
shoot  out  at  the  sides,  having  extricated  themselves  from  the  sheath. 
By  the  fifth  or  sixth  day  the  corn  begins  to  appear  with  a  small  green 
point  above  the  ground ;  it  remains  a  considerable  time  in  this  state, 
till,  as  the  season  advances,  and  fine  weather  favours,  the  ear  bursts 
from  its  coats,  which  hitherto  had  sheltered  it  from  all  the  variations 
of  temperature. 

From  this  consideration,  we  may  with  propriety  proceed  to  reflect 
upon  the  nature  of  human  life.  Our  present  existence  may  be  regarded 
as  the  germ  of  a  future  life,  and  our  state  here  as  that  of  our  seed-time, 
when  we  can  discover  very  little  growth.  The  luxuriant  ear,  the 
ripe  sheaves,  and  mature  fruit,  we  cannot  yet  see,  neither  is  the 
harvest  to  be  reaped  upon  the  earth.  We  live  in  hope.  The  hus- 
bandman having  sown  his  field,  abandons  his  seed  to  corruption,  to 
rain,  to  storms,  and  to  the  sun's  heat,  and  does  not  yet  know  what  will 
be  the  result :  so  docs  it  happen  with  regard  to  spiritual  seed.  Let 
us  not  exult  in  what  we  sow,  nor  be  cast  down  if  we  do  not  immedi- 
ately see  the  fruits  ;  neither  let  us  ever  be  weary  with  sowing  to  the 
Spirit ;  and  perhaps  our  good  w^orks,  however  small,  may  hereafter 
have  the  most  beneficial  consequences.  Now  that  our  ground  is  sowed, 
let  us  patiently,  and  without  anxiety,  wait  till  vye  gather  the  fruits  of 
our  labour,  and,  like  the  pious  husbandman,  let  us  pray  unto  God  to 
crown  our  fields  with  his  blessings. 


OCTOBER  XXIV. 

PARTICULAR  PROVIDENCE. 

It  would  be  very  unfortunate  for  the  world  if  there  was  any  founda- 
tion in  that  principle  of  the  incredulous,  that  God  is  only  concerned 
for  the  totality  of  beings,  and  the  preservation  of  society  at  large,  but 
has  no  care  of  particular  individuals.  The  absurdity  of  such  an  opi- 
nion is  evident.  Both  the  dictates  of  reason  and  the  sentiments  of 
religion  teach  us  to  believe  in  a  God,  whose  providence  extends 
itself  to  every  creature  in  particular,  and  to  every  part  of  which  that 
creature  is  composed.  Let  it  not  be  imagined  that  it  is  beneath  God 
to  regard  individuals.  The  whole  universe,  as  well  as  the  smallest 
particle  of  dust,  is  nothing  in  comparison  of  the  Infinite  Being.  What, 
then,  can  we  call  little  or  contemptible  1  Is  there  not  less  distance 
between  an  individual,  and  a  whole  nation,  than  there  is  between 
them  and  the  stars,  which  appear  so  small  to  the  eyes  of  men  1  The 
least  reflection  suflfiices  to  convince  us,  that  in  comparison  of  that  God 
to  whom  a  million  of  years  are  no  more  than  a  day,  and  the  whole 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


391 


universe  as  a  drop  of  water  compared  with  the  ocean,  there  is  nothing 
which  is  in  itself  either  great  or  httle,  nor  any  event,  however  incon- 
siderable it  may  be,  that  is  unworthy  of  Iiis  attention.  If  we  take  the 
meanest  plant^  or  the  least  insect  that  we  can  dissect,  we  shall  discover, 
even  in  its  least  particles,  the  same  wisdom  which  is  displayed  in  the 
structure  of  the  whole.  The  least  fibre  contributes  as  much  to  the 
perfection  of  the  whole  animal,  or  plant,  as  these  do  to  the  perfection 
of  the  whole  species,  and  as  the  entire  species  does  to  the  perfection 
of  the  universe.  If,  then,  God  has  not  disdained  to  form  these  creatures 
which  appear  so  despicable,  why  should  it  be  considered  beneath  him 
to  preserve  them  ?  And  if  the  parts  were  not  complete,  how  could 
the  whole  be  perfect  1  or  how  could  the  whole  species  be  preserved, 
unless  that  preservation  extended  to  individuals  ? 

Reason  teaches  us  this,  and  revelation  completes  our  conviction. 
It  informs  us  that  the  very  hairs  of  our  head  are  numbered.  Thus, 
the  meanest  part  of  our  body,  one  of  those  hairs,  thousands  of  which 
in  the  course  of  our  lives  we  lose  without  perceiving  it,  or  suffering 
any  inconvenience,  even  these  are  numbered.  Hence  our  Saviour 
drew  this  inference,  that  with  much  greater  reason  God  interests 
himself  on  our  account,  and  condescends  to  favour  us  with  his  regard  ; 
and  this  is  the  more  evident,  inasmuch  as  all  men  have  been  redeemed 
by  the  blood  of  his  well-beloved  Son,  and  have  gained  new  favour  in 
the  sight  of  God  by  becoming  the  disciples  of  the  blessed  Jesus.  O 
Eternal  Providence  !  I  adore  thee  in  Jesus  Christ.  With  the  liveliest 
emotions  of  gratitude,  I  adore  and  bless  thee,  O  God !  Before  the 
foundation  of  the  world  thou  designed  my  happiness,  before  my  sup- 
plications could  reach  the  throne  of  thy  grace,  or  my  grateful  aspira- 
tions ascend  to  heaven !  And  is  it  possible  that  thou  canst  now  forget 
me?  No  !  thy  only  Son,  the  blessed  Redeemer,  has  undertaken  my 
salvation,  and  suffered  even  the  most  cruel  torments  on  my  behalf. 
Let  us,  then,  not  be  staggered  by  the  raillery  of  vain  and  wicked  men. 
Let  us  confide  in  that  God  whom  the  infidel  would  persuade  us  takes 
no  care  of  his  creatures.  Let  us  consider  that  we  were  not  formed 
for  this  life  only,  but  that  we  are  to  live  in  ariother  world,  where  the 
wonders  of  God's  grace  and  infinite  power  will  be  opened  to  us  in  all 
their  beauty  and  splendour. 


OCTOBER  XXV. 

DIVISION  OF  TIME. 

Time  is  measured  and  divided  according  to  the  revolutions  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  particularly  those  of  the  sun  and  moon.  These  two 
spheres  have  the  greatest  influence  upon  the  state  of  man.  The 
revolution  of  the  moon  serves  only  to  mark  the  division  of  time  upon 
our  globe,  while  that  of  the  sun  is  doubtless  instrumental  in  regu- 
lating that  division  in  all  the  planets  which  revolve  round  him. 


S92 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


Day  is  that  portion  of  time  which  the  earth  expends  in  revolving 
round  its  own  axis.  That  space  of  time  during  which  the  sun  is 
above  the  horizon  is  called  the  artificial  day  ;  it  is  the  time  of  Ught, 
and  is  determined  by  the  rising  and  the  setting  of  the  sun.  The  lime 
of  darkness,  when  the  sun  is  below  the  horizon,  is  called  night.  Day 
and  night  taken  together  make  the  solar  day,  which  is  divided  into 
twenty-four  parts,  called  hours  ;  and  each  hour  is  again  divided  into 
sixty  equal  parts,  called  minutes ;  each  minute  into  sixty  seconds  ; 
and  each  second  into  sixty  thirds.  This  division  of  the  day  into 
hours,  minutes,  &c.  is  indicated  by  the  movement  of  the  shadow  oc- 
casioned by  the  gnomon  of  a  sundial,  or  by  the  hands  of  a  clock. 
Well-constructed  sundials  constantly  mark  the  true  time  of  the  sun  ; 
but  other  time-pieces,  which  require  to  be  regulated  by  the  mean  time 
of  the  sun,  are  frequently  out  of  repair.  Most  Europeans  begin  their 
day  and  their  hours  at  midnight,  from  w^hich  they  reckon  twelve 
hours  till  noon,  and  twelve  hours  from  that  to  the  ensuing  midnight. 
The  Italians  begin  their  day  at  sunset,  from  which  to  the  following 
evening  they  reckon  twenty-four  hours.  The  Turks  begin  their  day 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  sunset,  from  which  they  count  twelve 
equal  hours ;  and  when  they  are  elapsed,  they  reckon  twelve  more 
to  the  following  evening.  The  Jews  begin  their  day  at  sunset,  from 
which  they  number  twelve  equal  hours  to  sunrise,  and  as  many  from 
his  rising  to  his  setting;  consequently,  the  hours  of  their  day  are 
longer  or  shorter  than  those  of  the  night,  in  proportion  as  the  day  is 
longer  or  shorter  than  the  night. 

A  week  is  the  space  of  seven  days.  A  solar  month  is  the  time 
which  the  sun  takes  up  in  passing  through  one  sign  of  the  zodiac  ; 
but  these  months  do  not  begin  and  finish  exactly  when  the  sun  enters 
into  a  new  sign.  The  lunar  month  is  the  space  of  time  which  elapses 
between  two  new  moons,  that  is,  twenty -nine  days,  twelve  hours  and 
forty-four  minutes. 

The  solar  year  comprises  twelve  solar  months,  or  the  time  which 
the  sun  is  in  passing  through  the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac ;  and 
this  is  generally  reckoned  to  be  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days, 
five  hours,  forty-eight  minutes,  and  fifty-seven  seconds.  These  years 
are  at  present  used  by  most  of  the  people  of  Europe.  The  lunar  year 
is  that  space  of  time  which  comprises  twelve  lunar  months,  or  twelve 
revolutions  of  the  moon  round  the  earth.  It  is  composed  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty-four  days,  eight  hours,  and  forty-eight  minutes. 
The  Jews  and  the  Turks  use  this  year,  and  to  make  it  correspond 
with  the  solar  year,  they  often  intercalate  a  whole  month.  Our  com- 
mon year  begins  ten  or  eleven  days  after  the  sun  has  entered  the  sign 
of  Capricorn. 

However  trivial  and  unimportant  these  measurements  and  divisions 
of  time  may  appear  in  themselves,  they  are  still  of  great  consequence 
in  their  application  to  the  moral  life  of  man.  The  hours,  days,  weeks, 
months,  and  years,  which  compose  the  period  of  our  present  exist- 
ence, have  been  granted  t  o  us,  that  by  the  proper  use  of  our  faculties 
we  might  fulfil  the  end  of  our  creation.    How,  then,  do  we  employ 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


393 


this  precious  time  ]  Minutes  and  seconds  are  trifles  in  our  eyes,  which 
do  not  deserve  our  attention  ;  yet  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  he 
who  makes  light  of  minutes  will  be  equally  prodigal  of  his  hours. 
Are  we  even  more  economical  of  longer  periods  1  If  from  all  the  days 
that  are  allotted  us  we  deduct  those  which  have  been  entirely  lost 
with  respect  to  our  immortal  souls,  how  little  of  real  and  effective  life 
will  remain  ! 

How  distressing  and  humiliating  is  the  reflection,  that  of  the  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  hours  which  divine  goodness  has  intrusted  us 
with,  to  devote  to  the  great  and  eternal  interest  of  our  souls,  so  many 
have  been  shamefully  consumed  in  separating  ourselves  from  God, 
the  best  and  tenderest  of  Fathers  !  How  many  years  are  passed  in 
idleness  and  in  vice,  in  gratifying  our  passions  and  injuring  our  neigh- 
bours !  How  inconceivably  quick  the  few  moments  that  yet  remain 
fly  away  !  Hour  after  hour  imperceptibly  glide  along,  and  are  irre- 
coverably lost ;  and  an  hour  is  much  to  a  man  who  can  so  easily  cal- 
culate by  hours  the  period  of  his  real  and  effective  life. 

Teach  us,  O  Lord,  so  to  number  our  days,  that  we  may  apply  our 
hearts  unto  wisdom  ;  and  that  henceforth  we  may  make  a  proper  use  of 
that  time  which  thou  mayest  still  condescend  to  grant  us  ;  that  so  we 
may  gain  a  portion  of  grace  through  Christ,  and  assure  unto  our- 
eelves  a  glorious  and  happy  eternity. 


OCTOBER  XXVI. 

THE  END  OF  SUMMER. 

The  last  rays  of  the  summer  sun  now  fall  feebly  on  the  earth ; 
every  thing  is  changed  :  that  country  which  so  lately  bloomed  in  ver- 
dant beauty  and  blushing  charms  is  becoming  poor,  withered,  and 
barren.  We  no  longer  see  the  trees  rich  in  blossom,  nor  the  spring 
gay  with  verdure  ;  the  magnificence  of  summer,  displayed  in  a  thou- 
sand variations  of  colours,  whose  richness  is  relieved  by  the  beautiful 
green  of  the  meadows  and  waving  groves,  is  no  more  :  the  purple 
view  of  the  vine  has  faded,  and  the  gilded  ears  no  longer  ornament 
the  fields.  The  last  leaves  of  the  trees  are  falling ;  the  pines,  the 
elms,  and  the  oaks,  bend  beneath  the  blasts  of  the  fierce  north  wind  ; 
and  the  fields,  which  have  lavished  upon  us  so  many  gifts,  are  at 
length  exhausted. 

The  sad  changes  must  necessarily  diminish  our  pleasures.  When 
the  earth  has  lost  her  verdure,  gayety,  and  beauty  ;  when  the  fields 
are  swampy,  and  gloominess  reigns,  man  is  deprived  of  many  of  those 
dehghts  that  he  receives  through  the  medium  of  sight.  When  the 
earth  is  thus  destitute,  nothing  is  seen  around  but  a  rugged  and  un- 
even surface.  The  songs  of  the  birds  no  longer  rejoice  our  ears,  and 
there  is  nothing  that  recalls  to  our  minds  that  universal  dehght  which 
we  so  lately  shared  with  all  animated  beings.    The  melody  of  the 


394 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


birds  yields  to  the  murmuring  of  waters  and  the  howUng  of  the  winds?. 
The  fragrance  of  the  fields  is  gone,  and  the  sense  of  feehng  is  pained 
by  the  impression  of  cold  and  humid  air. 

But  in  the  midst  of  these  gloomy  prospects  we  have  reason  to  ac- 
knowledge how  faithfully  nature  fulfils  the  eternal  law  prescribed  to 
her,  of  being  useful  at  all  times  and  seasons  of  the  year.  Though, 
at  the  approach  of  winter,  the  country  is  desolate,  and  stripped  of  its 
most  beautiful  ornaments,  it  still  presents  to  a  properly  organized  mind 
the  image  of  happiness.  We  may  say  with  gratitude,  here  we  have 
seen  the  corn  grow,  and  these  dry  fields  clothed  with  abundant  har- 
vests ;  and  though  the  orchards  and  gardens  are  now  deserted,  the 
remembrance  of  the  presents  which  we  have  received  from  them  in- 
spires us  with  joy,  though  we  are  exposed  to  the  influence  of  the 
north  wind.  The  fruit-trees  have  shed  their  leaves,  the  grass  of  the 
meadows  is  withered,  dark  clouds  gather  in  the  sky,  the  rain  falls  in 
heavy  showers,  the  roads  are  impaired,  and  walking  is  impracticable. 
The  man  who  has  no  resources  in  himself  murmurs  at  this  change, 
but  the  philosopher  contemplates  it  with  satisfaction.  The  dry  leaves 
and  withered  grass,  moistened  by  the  autumnal  rain,  form  a  rich 
manure  to  fertilize  the  land.  This  consideration,  and  the  sweet  ex- 
pectation of  spring,  naturally  ought  to  excite  our  gratitude  for  the 
tender  cares  of  our  Creator,  and  inspire  us  with  a  perfect  confidence 
in  him.  Whilst  the  earth  has  lost  its  beauty  and  external  charms, 
and  is  exposed  to  the  murmurs  of  those  it  has  nourished  and  delighted, 
it  has  commenced  its  labours  anew,  and  is  busily  employed  iu  secret 
working  for  the  future  good  of  the  creation. 


OCTOBER  XXVII. 

MAGNIFICENCE  OF  GOD  DISPLAYED  IN  THE  CREATION. 

*  God  has  manifested  himself  in  the  creation  as  a  being  infinitely 
wise.'  There  is  no  creature,  however  useless  it  may  appear,  which 
has  not  its  particular  destination  ;  and  all  are  formed  in  that  way 
which  is  best  adapted  to  answer  the  purposes  of  their  existence.  This 
is  at  least  the  case  with  all  those  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  and 
by  analogy  we  may  conclude  it  is  the  same  with  those  that  we  do 
not  know.  If  we  begin  with  the  sun,  and  descend  to  the  smallest 
plant,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  acknowledge  that,  to  be  properly  adapted 
to  the  end  for  which  they  are  designed,  these  creatures  could  not  be 
formed  otherwise  ;  and  that  for  the  purpose  they  are  to  answer  they 
have  no  defect.  The  least  parts  of  every  creature  are  evidently  ap- 
propriate to  its  destination  ;  they  accomplish  the  functions  prescribed 
to  them  by  nature  ;  and  were  any  of  its  parts  to  be  taken  away,  the 
whole  animal  would  be  imperfect,  and  unable  to  fulfil  the  end  of  its 
existence.  How  wonderful  is  that  whole  which  results  from  the  con- 
nexion and  relation  which  all  creatures  have  with  each  other  !  Each 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


396 


is  in  its  place,  each  has  its  proper  functions,  and  these  are  essential  to 
the  perfection  of  the  whole ;  neither  could  any  of  them  be  wanting, 
or  imperfect,  without  more  or  less  disorder  resulting. 

If,  tlien,  we  represent  to  ourselves  the  Being  who  has  formed  this 
innumerable  multitude  of  creatures,  animate  and  inanimate  ;  who 
has  not  only  designed  each  of  them  to  fill  up  certain  places  in  the 
creation,  but  who  has  also  disposed  and  arranged  all  their  parts  in  a 
manner  the  best  adapted  to  their  ends,  without  any  thing  superfluous, 
without  any  thing  defective  ;  who,  by  the  inclination  of  an  immense 
number  of  individuals,  has  altogether  formed  a  whole,  where  the 
most  perfect  harmony  reigns,  shall  we  not  be  struck  with  admiration, 
and  pronounce  with  reverential  awe,  the  depth  of  the  wisdom  and 
the  knowledge  of  God  !' 

*God  has  manifested  himself  in  the  creation  as  a  being  infinitely 
wise.'  He  has  every  where  diffused  life  and  n)otion.  How  nume- 
rous are  the  animated  beings  his  beneficent  hand  has  produced  ! 
From  the  beginning  of  the  world  man  has  always  laboured  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  different  beings  that  inhabit  the  earth,  and  to 
this  day  he  continues  to  discover  new  species  which  were  before  un- 
known. Life  is  a  blessing,  even  to  the  meanest  worm  that  crawls  on 
the  earth  :  wiiat  pleasure,  then,  must  the  Almighty  derive  from  doing 
good,  since  he  has  bestowed  upon  so  many  creatures  the  felicity  of 
existence.  But  of  what  use  would  life  be,  if  it  was  destroyed  as  soon 
as  created]  The  Creator  has  taken  care  that  every  creature  shall 
live  long  enough  to  fulfil  the  end  of  its  creation.  He  has  assigned  to 
each  the  place  it  is  to  inhabit,  and  every  individual  is  provided,  im- 
mediately upon  its  entering  the  w^orld,  w-ith  all  that  is  necessary  to 
the  preservation  of  its  life.  Many  animals  bring  with  them  into  the 
w^orld  the  instinct  and  degree  of  industry  necessary  to  enable  them  to 
obtain  nourishment ;  others,  as  man,  are  at  first  supported  and  in- 
structed by  their  parents ;  and  the  earth's  fertility  for  the  benefit  of 
her  inhabitants  is  inexhaustible  !  Nearly  six  thousand  years  have 
elapsed  since  she  began  to  support  the  many  millions  of  beings  that 
live  upon  her  productions;  and  though  the  world  should  endure  twice 
six  thousand  years  longer,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  a  sufficient  supply 
of  nutriment  would  still  continue  to  be  afforded  to  the  generations  yet 
to  come. 

With  life,  how  many  pleasures  and  delightful  sensations  has  not 
the  Creator  granted  to  all  animated  beings,  and  especially  to  man  ? 
How  magnificently  he  has  adorned  and  beautified  the  world  he  has 
destined  for  our  temporary  habitation!  what  enjoyments  he  permits 
us  to  taste  in  social  life!  what  tender,  fond,  and  endearing  ties!  what 
affection  and  sweet  emotions  cheer  our  hearts!  And  can  ingratitude 
to  a  Being  thus  merciful  and  beneficent  ever  debase  the  minds  of 
men  who  are  endowed  with  reason,  and  the  faculty  of  knowing  and 
loving  the  great  Author  of  their  existence  ?  Forbid  it,  heaven  ;  and 
let  us  acknowledge  in  joyful  accents  that  the  earth  is  full  of  the 
blessings  of  God,  who  manifests  himself  in  the  creation  as  a  being  of 
all  power. 


896 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


This  power,  infinite  as  the  universe,  boundless  as  the  heaveng, 
plainly  manifested  in  every  creature,  is  more  particularly  perceptible 
in  the  extremes,  in  the  greatest  objects  of  nature,  and  in  the  least. 
What  but  an  infinitely  powerful  Being,  surpassing  all  human  concep- 
tion, could  have  formed  the  firmament,  that  immense  extent,  that 
boundless  space  in  which  such  myriads  of  spheres  continually,  with- 
out interruption,  roll  their  vast  orbs  1  Who  but  himself  could  have 
so  long  preserved  the  vast  fabric  steady  upon  its  foundations,  as  if  to 
endure  for  ever,  and  yet  sustaining  a  concatenation  of  motions  varied 
as  they  are  wonderful  ?  Who  else  could  have  fashioned  a  body  too 
brilliant  for  mortal  eyes  to  behold,  whose  splendour  is  ever  undimi- 
nished, and  fix  it  at  such  an  awful  elevation  in  the  heavens  as  at  once 
to  command  the  universe,  and  receive  the  homage  of  numerous 
worlds,  which,  ever  circling  round,  derive  their  radiance  from  this  vast 
luminary  of  day  ? 

Could  any  thing  short  of  infinite  power  impart  motion  to  the  earth, 
the  moon,  and  the  stars ;  prescribe  limits  to  their  course,  and  urge 
their  revolutions  in  endless  succession  ? 

Are  we  desirous  of  considering  the  presence  of  divine  power  in 
the  smallest  objects,  we  shall  find  it  equally  manifest,  incomprehen- 
sible, and  wonderful,  as  in  the  grandest  and  most  sublime.  Examine 
the  very  dust  that  strews  the  earth  ;  mingled  with  it  are  myriads  of 
insects,  thousands  of  which  united  would  not  make  up  the  bulk  of  a 
single  grain  of  sand  ;  yet  each  of  these  has  its  limbs,  organs,  and 
senses  ;  each  has  its  instincts  and  sensations  ;  and  to  each  the  love  of 
life  is  dear,  and  the  desire  of  preserving  it  ardent.  View  the  grass  of 
the  fields,  the  blossoms  of  the  trees;  study  well  their  structure,  origin, 
and  use,  and  you  will  every  where  throughout  the  vast  extent  of 
nature,  discover  wonders  that  are  worthy  of  their  heavenly  Author, 
and  capable  of  calling  forth  all  the  gratitude  and  veneration  which 
a  virtuous  and  noble  mind  can  feel  for  a  Being  whose  attributes  fill 
the  universe  with  glory. 


OCTOBER  XXVIII. 

LAWS  OF  INERTIA. 

Inertia  is  that  power  of  resistance  by  which  all  bodies  have  a  ten- 
dency to  remain  in  the  state  in  which  they  are.  When  a  body  is  at 
rest  it  remains  so,  till  some  force  is  applied  great  enough  to  overcome 
its  resistance  ;  and  when  that  is  accomplished  it  continues  in  a  state 
of  motion,  from  the  same  law  of  inertia  which  operated  when  it  was 
at  rest;  and  it  now  resists  as  forcibly  those  bodies  which  would  retard 
its  progress,  as  it  before  resisted  those  which  impelled  it  to  move.  By 
this  means  bodies  move  with  regularity,  and  the  laws  of  motion  and 
percussion  may  be  exactly  determined. 

If  the  heavenly  bodies  did  not  possess  this  power  of  resistance,  they 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


397 


could  not  move  with  so  much  order  and  regularity,  and  they  would 
always  require  a  new  moving  power  to  preserve  them  in  motion. 
From  this  it  is  evident  that  the  universe  is  arranged  and  governed  by 
divine  wisdom.  The  removal  of  any  part  of  this  immense  edifice 
would  derange  the  whole.  Of  what  use  to  us  would  be  the  regular 
structure  of  plants  and  of  animals,  with  the  admirable  arrangement 
of  the  heavenly  spheres,  if  none  of  these  bodies  were  susceptible  of 
motion  ?  How  simple  is  this  law,  and  how  wonderful  are  its  effects! 
Such  always  are  the  works  of  God  :  the  principles  are  beautifully 
simple,  and  the  whole  edifice  is  as  admirable. 

In  contemplating  the  works  of  God,  every  spectator  is  not  alike 
able  to  discover  the  fundamental  law^s  upon  which  most  of  the  phe- 
nomena depend  ;  and,  consequently,  they  are  not  equally  able  to  per- 
ceive and  acknowledge  the  wisdom  which  directs  them.  This 
knowledge  is  reserved  for  the  attainment  of  the  philosopher,  whose 
labours  are  thus  amply  repaid  by  the  pure  and  exhausted  delight 
wJiich  they  procure. 

There  seems  to  be  a  certain  degree  of  inertia  inherent  in  the  mind, 
somewnat  similar  to  that  which  obtains  in  matter.  Those  bodies  that 
constantly  move  in  the  same  manner,  and  towards  the  same  points, 
acquire  a  tendency  to  persist  in  the  same  direction  ;  and  a  human 
mind  has  a  similar  propensity  for  those  actions  which  we  have  often 
repeated  in  the  same  manner.  Hence  the  difficulty  of  overcoming 
acquired  habits.  We  may  make  a  most  excellent  use  of  this  propen- 
sity of  mind,  by  directing  it  to  strengthen  our  habits  of  virtue.  For 
this  purpose  we  have  only  to  repeat  very  often  the  same  good  actions, 
till  we  are  as  much  accustomed  to  deeds  of  virtue  as  we  before  were 
to  those  of  vice.  This  is  the  more  important,  because  without  virtue 
we  can  never  retain  a  true  and  lasting  tranquillity. 

Whence  proceeds  those  errors  which  we  often  commit  in  this 
respect  ?  Why  do  Ave  follow  with  unceasing  perseverance,  imaginary 
good,  which  in  the  end  leads  to  destruction  1  Our  hearts,  seduced  by 
that  pride  which  is  natural  to  them,  and  our  minds,  dazzled  by  the 
deceitful  lustre  of  worldly  objects,  cause  us  very  reluctantly  to  approach 
the  paths  of  virtue.  But  let  not  the  violence  which  we  thus  do  to  our 
inclinations  and  passions  discourage  us.  The  practisers  of  vice  them- 
selves are  often  obliged  to  restrain  theniselves  in  their  mad  career, 
and  resist  the  impetuosity  of  their  passions,  in  order  to  procure  some 
temporal  advantage,  or  to  shun  some  particular  evil ;  and  this  violence 
which  they  thus  do  themselves,  in  resisting  their  sensual  desires  and 
gratifications,  must  be  very  painful  and  severe  to  men  corrupted  by 
effeminacy  and  enervated  by  dissipation.  On  the  contrary,  what 
sweet  emotions  cheer  the  heart  when  the  soul  retains  her  command 
over  the  senses,  and  preserves  them  in  that  subordination  which  is 
consistent  with  the  dignity  of  beings  endowed  with  reason  !  By 
frequently  exercising  this  command  w^e  at  length  attain  that  happy 
state,  where  the  soul,  elevated  above  the  turbulent  region  of  the  pas- 
sions, looks  down  with  compassion  upon  the  deluded  votaries  of  vice, 
and  pities  the  miserable  victims  devoted  to  her  chains. 


398 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


OCTOBER  XXIX 

WANTS  OF  MEN. 

No  creature  upon  the  eartli  has  soman}^  wants*  as  man.  He  comes 
into  the  world  naked,  destitute,  and  ignorant.  Nature  has  not  endued 
him  with  that  industry  and  instinct  which  most  of  the  brute  creation 
enjoy  as  soon  as  born  ;  she  has  only  given  him  the  capabihty  of  ac- 
quiring reason  and  knowledge.  In  some  respects,  therefore,  the  animals 
may  seem  to  be  more  favoured.  They  are  extremely  happy  in  having 
no  need  of  clothes,  instruments,  and  those  conveniences  so  necessary 
to  man  ;  and  in  not  being  obliged  to  exercise  that  variety  of  arts  and 
occupations,  without  which  we  cannot  procure  what  our  necessities 
demand.  They  possess  at  their  birth,  clothing,  weapons,  and  every 
thing  they  require  ;  or,  if  they  require  any  thing  more,  they  can  easily 
procure  it  by  means  of  their  instinct,  which  they  have  only  to  follow 
blindly.  If  they  want  habitations,  they  know  instinctively  how  to 
construct  them.  Do  the}^  require  beds,  covering,  or  clothes,  they  pos- 
sess the  art  of  spinning  or  w^eaving  them  ;  and  they  can  change  their 
old  garments  for  new.  If  they  have  enemies,  they  are  provided  with 
natural  arms  for  their  defence  ;  and  are  they  ill  or  wounded,  they 
know  how  to  find  remedies  ;  whilst  we,  who  are  so  much  superior  to 
all  other  animals,  have  more  wants,  and  fewer  means  of  satisf}  ing 
them. 

Periiaps  it  will  be  asked,  why  the  Creator  has  thus  given  to  man  less 
natural  advantages  than  he  has  to  brutes  ?  and  such  a  question  un- 
doubtedly is  excusable,  if  not  expressed  from  motives  of  dissatisfac- 
tion or  murmuring.  The  divine  wisdom  is  equall}^  manifested  in  this 
as  in  all  other  things.  In  subjecting  man  to  more  wants,  God  de- 
signed that  he  should  continually  exercise  that  ratiocinative  faculty, 
which  is  given  him  for  his  happiness,  and  to  supply  the  place  of  all 
the  resources  of  the  animals.  And  because  we  are  destitute  of  the 
instincts  which  they  enjoy,  and  that  we  have  so  many  necessities  to 
answer,  we  are  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  our  reason  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  the  world,  and  of  our  own  particular  nature  ;  to  be 
diligent,  active,  and  laborious,  to  secure  ourselves  from  poverty,  pain, 
and  vexation,  and  to  render  our  lives  peaceable  and  happy.  The 
faculty  of  reason  also  enables  us  to  restrain  our  unruly  passions,  and 
preserve  our  minds  free  from  the  delusive  influence  of  pleasures  which 
might  be  fatal  in  their  consequences.  A  few  instances  will  suffice  to 
illustrate  this.  If  we  could  obtain  without  any  labour  fruits,  and  the 
necessary  supply  of  food  and  other  articles  which  we  daily  want,  we 
should  become  idle  and  slothful,  and  pass  our  days  in  uninterrupted 
indolence  ;  all  the  faculties  of  the  soul,  for  want  of  exertion,  would 
become  enfeebled  and  enervated  ;  the  links  that  hold  society  together 
would  be  broken,  because  we  should  no  longer  depend  upon  one  an- 
other ;  and  children  would  have  no  occasion  to  apply  to  their  parents 
lor  support  and  subsistence.  The  whole  human  race  must  then  relapse 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


399 


into  its  former  barbarism  ;  and  in  a  state  of  nature,  each  individual, 
like  the  brutes,  would  only  live  for  himself ;  subordination  could  not 
exist,  and  all  mutual  obligations  and  good  oflices  must  cease.  It  is 
therefore  to  our  wants  that  we  owe  the  development  of  our  faculties, 
and  the  pi  erogatives  of  humanity.  They  awaken  the  energies  of  our 
minds,  give  them  activity  and  industry,  and  render  our  lives  more 
pleasant  and  happy  than  those  of  other  animals.  Our  very  necessi- 
ties, then,  have  rendered  us  sociable,  rational,  and  orderly  in  our  man- 
ners ;  and  have  led  us  to  the  invention  of  many  useful  arts  and  sci- 
ences. In  general,  an  active  and  laborious  life  is  advantageous  and 
necessary  to  man.  If  his  faculties  and  powers  are  not  exercised,  they 
become  useless  ;  he  gradually  gets  into  a  state  of  stupidity,  ignorance, 
and  gross  sensuality,  with  all  their  concomitant  vices  ;  whilst  mental 
and  bodily  exertions  give  an  agreeable  activity  to  the  whole  machine, 
and  procure  as  much  satisfaction  and  delight,  as  it  stimulates  to  in- 
dustry, to  science,  and  to  knowledge. 

Natural  wants,  then,  were  necessary  to  render  us  rational,  wise, 
social,  virtuous,  and  happy.  If,  after  having  been  nourished  with  our 
mother's  milk,  we  had  no  farther  occasion  for  assistance  or  instruction, 
we  should  only  live  for  ourselves,  learn  no  language,  nor  make  any 
use  of  our  reason ;  stupitied,  and  in  the  profoundest  ignorance  both 
of  ourselves  and  of  all  other  beings,  we  should  neither  know  arts  nor 
sciences,  nor  ever  experience  that  elevation  of  soul  which  arises  from 
cultivating  its  powers,  nor  those  sw^eet  emotions  of  the  heart  which 
those  only  feel  w^ho  are  concerned  for  the  good  of  others.  Whereas, 
in  the  present  constitution  of  things,  the  wants  of  children,  and  their 
total  helplessness  when  they  first  draw  breath,  oblige  their  parents  to 
take  care  of  them  out  of  tenderness  and  compassion ;  whilst  the  children, 
on  their  part,  become  strongly  attached  to  their  parents  by  reason  of 
their  wants,  and  from  their  fear  of  danger  suffer  themselves  to  be 
guided  by  them,  form  themselves  by  their  examples  and  instructions, 
to  make  a  good  use  of  their  reason,  and  acquire  a  sense  of  propriety  of 
conduct.  They  thus  grow  up  in  virtue,  form  useful  members  of 
society,  and  are  placed  in  a  'condition  of  leading  a  respectable  and 
happy  life. 

Possessing,  then,  all  these  advantages,  we  may  readily  dispense 
with  those  which  animals  appear  to  have  over  us.  We  have  no  need 
of  furs  or  of  feathers  to  cover  us,  nor  of  teeth  or  claws  to  defend  us ; 
of  senses  more  acute  than  we  now  possess,  or  of  instinct  to  enable  us 
to  procure  what  is  necessary  for  our  nourishment  and  preservation. 
These  gifts  of  nature  would  degrade  and  reduce  us  to  a  perfection 
merely  animal.  Our  senses  and  our  reason,  aided  by  our  manual 
exertions,  are  sufficient  to  procure  us  clothing,  food,  and  every  thing 
necessary  for  our  nourishment  and  preservation,  as  well  as  comfort 
and  pleasure,  with  the  abundant  use  of  all  the  riches  so  exuberant  in 
the  kingdom  of  nature. 

It  is  proved,  then,  that  those  wants  of  which  so  many  people  com- 
plain are  the  true  foundations  of  our  happiness,  and  the  best  means 
that  divine  wisdom  and  goodness  could  choose  to  direct  the  faculties 


400 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


of  man  to  their  greatest  possible  advantage.  Thus  it  is  in  the  power 
of  all  men,  by  conforming  themselves  to  the  views  of  Omnipotence, 
to  escape  much  trouble  and  vexation  ;  the  great  mass  of  misery  would 
thereby  be  lessened,  and  we  should  have  joyful  cause  to  acknowledge 
that  the  sum  of  good  is  much  greater  than  that  of  evil,  that  our 
afflictions  are  tempered  by  a  thousand  blessings,  and  ihat  it  is  in  the 
power  of  every  man,  by  unwearied  exertions,  aided  by  virtue  and  in- 
tegrity, to  render  his  days  felicitous,  and  his  hfe  useful  to  all  within 
the  circle  of  his  influence. 


OCTOBER  XXX. 

HYMN  UPON  THE  POWER  AND  PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD. 

God  shall  be  my  song.  He  is  omnipotent :  the  Lord  is  his  name : 
his  works  are  great,  and  his  governmerit  extends  through  all  the 
heavens. 

He  wills,  he  speaks,  and  millions  of  worlds  rise  into  existence  :  he 
threatens,  and  they  are  reduced  to  dust. 

Light  is  his  garment :  his  counsels  are  wisdom  and  truth.  As 
God  he  reigns ;  truth  and  righteousness  are  the  foundation  of  his 
throne. 

Monarch  of  all  the  worlds,  who  is  like  unto  thee  1  Without  begin- 
ning of  days,  and  without  end  of  lime,  thou  art  eternal  in  the  hea- 
vens, the  incorruptible,  unceasing  source  of  glory,  wisdom,  and 
felicity. 

All  that  is,  was,  or  ever  shall  be,  in  heaven,  earth,  or  sea,  is  known 
to  God.  He  has  contemplated  his  innumerable  works  from  all 
eternity. 

He  encompasseth  us  :  he  watches  over  us,  and  under  the  shadow  of 
his^wings  we  rest  in  safety.  None  of  our  actions  escape  his  penetra- 
tion :  he  searches  the  inmost  recesses  ^f  the  heart. 

He  is  always  near  us  :  when  we  lie  down,  and  when  we  rise  up, 
he  is  present :  he  knows  our  thoughts  before  we  are  conscious  of 
them  :  if  we  climb  up  to  heaven  he  is  there  ;  and  though  we  should 
fly  with  the  rays  of  the  sun  to  the  boundaries  of  the  universe,  or  fa- 
thom the  depth  of  the  ocean,  there  he  is  also. 

He  knows  our  afflictions  :  he  heareth  our  prayers,  and  sees  all  that 
passes  in  our  souls.  All  our  good  actions  are  known  to  him,  as  well 
as  those  that  are  bad ;  and  when  we  are  in  danger  of  falling,  his 
merciful  hand  upholds  us. 

From  eternity  he  has  planned  the  welfare  of  man  ;  we  have  no- 
thing that  does  not  proceed  from  him  :  we  are  wholly  his ;  by  his 
goodness  we  live.  Let  us  therefore  glorif}^  his  name,  and  continually 
sing  his  praises. 

Who  is  able  to  comprehend  and  recount  the  grandeur  and  magni- 
ficence of  God's  creation  ?    Every  grain  of  dust  displays  his  power ; 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


401 


every  blade  of  grass  his  wisdom ;  and  the  air,  the  sea,  the  hills,  the 
valleys,  and  the  meadows,  declare  his  glory. 

God  waters  the  earth,  and  spreads  a  verdant  carpet  beneath  our 
feet.  His  blessings  encompass  us:  the  day  and  night,  the  corn,  and 
the  fruit  of  the  vine,  joy  and  abundance,  all  flow  from  him. 

Not  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  earth  without  his  will ;  and  why  shall 
man  abandon  himself  to  vexation,  and  not  confide  in  the  paternal 
cares  of  his  God,  his  protector  and  constant  supporter,  under  whose 
shelter  and  guardian  power  no  dangers  can  overcome,  no  terrors 
appal  ?  With  God  for  our  leader,  we  need  not  fear  the  united  powers 
of  darkness,  of  oppression,  and  of  iniquity  :  though  tempests  roar  and 
storms  howl  around  us,  we  may  in  safety  view  the  contending  ele- 
ments, and  calmly  contemplate  the  sublimity  of  nature,  whilst  we 
adore  the  Deity. 


OCTOBER  XXXI. 

A  HYMN  OF  PRAISE. 

Thou,  O  Lord,  hast  created  the  hosts  of  heaven,  and  the  myriads  of 
angels,  which  unceasingly  surround  thy  throne.  The  immense  extent 
of  the  heavens,  with  all  their  magnificence,  is  the  tabernacle  of  those 
blessed  spirits  which  love  and  adore  thee. 

Thou  hast  adorned  this  globe  of  earth  with  a  thousand  beau- 
ties that  dehght  our  souls.  The  sun  which  animates  so  many 
spheres,  which  fertilizes  our  fields,and  enriches  us  with  so  many  bless- 
ings, never  wanders  from  the  vast  orb  which  thou  hast  prescribed  to 
him. 

At  thy  command  the  moon's  paler  radiance  nightly  gleams  in  the 
heavens  ;  and  wherever  we  cast  our  view  we  perceive  the  eflfects  of 
thy  goodness,  and  thy  blessings  never  cease  to  visit  us. 

Springs  and  fountains,  that  ever  flow,  preserve  for  us  their  pure  and 
limpid  streams.  The  mild  dew  waters  and  refreshes  our  meadows. 
The  mountains  and  the  valleys,  the  fields  and  the  groves,  present  us 
w^ith  a  thousand  beauties  ;  and  the  whole  earth,  which  thy  hand  sus- 
tains in  infinite  space,  is  full  of  thy  riches,  crowned  with  thy  blessings, 
and  fertilized  by  thy  bounty. 

Let  us  bear  without  murmuring  the  afflictions  of  life  ;  they  are 
always  solaced  by  some  moments  of  enjoyment,  and  mitigated  by  the 
cheering  influence  of  hope.  The  grand  spectacle  of  nature  ani- 
mates our  drooping  spirits,  and  the  rays  of  divine  grace  dry  up  all  our 
tears. 

But  who  can  fathom  the  depth  of  thy  ways  ?  In  this  life,  good 
and  evil  accompany  each  other.  Earthquakes,  tempests,  w^ar,  pesti- 
lence, and  famine,  often  disturb  the  happiness  and  security  of  men  ; 
and  death,  unrelenting  and  unsparing,  spreads  wide  his  devastation. 

A  breath  overturns  us,  lays  us  in  the  tomb,  and  reduces  us  to  dust. 
34*  3  A 


402 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


But  blessed  be  the  Almighty  God,  tlie  rock  of  our  safety,  and  the 
tabernacle  of  our  salvation,  who  has  opened  unto  us  the  doors  of  eter- 
nal life,  through  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord  ! 


NOVEMBER  L 

MARINE  ANIMALS, 

Independent  of  the  great  variety  of  plants,  herbs,  trees,  and  bushes, 
which  grow  and  twine  together  at  the  bottom  of  the  deep,  there  are 
so  many  different  species  of  animals,  that  we  cannot  possibly  know 
them  all,  much  less  can  we  enumerate  the  individuals  that  belong  to 
each  species. 

Among  this  innumerable  multitude  of  animated  beings  there  is  no 
confusion,  but  all  may  be  easily  distinguished ;  and  in  the  sea,  as 
every  where  else,  a  perfect  order  reigns.  All  these  creatures  may  be 
arranged  in  certain  classes :  each  one  has  its  particular  nature,  food, 
mode  of  life,  distinct  character,  and  peculiar  instinct.  In  the  sea,  as 
well  as  upon  land,  there  are  shades  of  gradation,  and  insensible  steps 
from  one  species  to  another.  Where  one  ends,  the  other  begins.  The 
stone,  which  is  the  highest  link  in  the  mineral  kingdom,  is  half  a 
plant ;  the  plant,  which  terminates  the  vegetable  kingdom,  partly 
belongs  to  the  animal  kingdom ;  and  the  animal  kingdom,  which 
connects  man  with  the  brute  creation,  has  some  resemblance  to  him. 
In  the  sea,  also,  nature  passes  by  just  gradations  from  little  to  great, 
insensibly  perfects  the  different  kinds,  and  connects  them  all  by  one 
immense  chain,  no  link  of  which  is  defective. 

How  prodigious  is  the  multitude  of  inhabitants  contained  in  the 
sea  !  What  varieties  are  found  among  them  !  What  diversity  of 
forms,  of  instincts,  and  of  destination  !  Some  are  so  small  as  to  elude 
our  perception  ;  others  so  large,  that  their  enormous  bulk  inspires  us 
with  terror.  Some  of  them  are  destitute  of  all  beautj^,  and  their 
colour  so  nearly  resembles  that  of  the  sea,  that  it  is  with  difficulty 
we  can  distinguish  therti.  Others  are  adorned  with  the  most  bril- 
liant and  magnificent  colours.  Some  species  are  very  unprolific  ;  and 
if  it  was  not  so,  they  would  destroy  all  the  rest.  Others,  again,  mul- 
tiply prodigiously,  and  are  highly  beneficial,  by  supplying  men  and 
animals  with  food. 

*  Lord,  how  numerous  are  thy  works  !  In  wisdom  hast  thou  made 
them  all.  The  earth  is  full  of  thy  goodness  :  the  great  and  wide  sea, 
wherein  are  things  creeping  innumerable,  both  small  and  great  beasts, 
display  thy  marvellous  riches.  There  go  the  ships  ;  there  swims  the 
huge  whale,  which  thou  hast  formed  to  sport  among  the  waves,  the 
terror  of  the  finny  race,  to  play  therein.  AH  these  wait  upon  thee, 
that  thou  mayest  give  them  their  meat  in  due  season.' 


» 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


403 


NOVEMBER  II. 

THE  WISDOM  OF  GOD  IN  CONNECTING  THE  DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF 

NATURE. 

As  all  the  members  of  our  bodies,  taken  collectively,  form  a  whole, 
constructed  and  arranged  with  the  utmost  wisdom,  so  also  the  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  natural  productions  may  be  regarded  as  so  many 
members,  of  which  Supernal  Power  has  composed  one  perfect 
whole.  A  vary  slight  attention  is  sufficient  to  convince  us  that  every 
thing  in  nature  is  connected  together,  and  linked  so  firmly  as  to  form 
a  perfect  system.  Different  kinds  of  mineral  earths  nourish  and  sup- 
port the  vegetable  kingdom,  without  which  animals  could  not  live  ; 
and  fire,  water,  and  air,  are  indispensably  necessary  to  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  terrestrial  globe. 

There  is,  then,  an  indissoluble  bond  between  all  the  various  beings, 
animate  as  well  as  inanimate,  which  compose  our  globe  ;  and  philo- 
sophers have  demonstrated  that  this  globe  itself  has  its  necessary  con- 
necting links  with  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  whole  creation.  And 
to  combine  this  immense  multitude  of  dififerent  beings  and  substances, 
so  as  to  form  one  complete  whole,  could  only  be  effected  by  Omnipo- 
tent Wisdom.  This  alone  could  unite  together  so  many  millions  of 
different  creatures,  and  link  them  in  such  a  manner  that  they  should 
be  continually  connected,  and  mutually  support  each  other. 

That  we  may  not  be  perplexed  and  confounded  by  the  immensity 
of  the  universe,  let  us  for  the  present  confine  our  attention  to  our  own 
globe,  which  is  one  of  the  most  inconsiderable  parts  of  the  universe. 
The  wisdom  that  we  shall  there  discover  may  lead  us  to  form  some 
idea  of  that  which  is  manifest  in  the  rest  of  the  creation.  Let  us 
begin  with  considering  what  is  immediately  before  our  eyes.  If  we 
examine  the  animal  kingdom  as  to  the  relations  it  bears  to  the  rest  of 
nature,  and  reflect  upon  the  wants  which  are  common  to  all  animals, 
we  shall  be  struck  with  the  admirable  harmony  that  reigns  through- 
out. Warmth,  air,  water,  and  light,  are  all  indispensably  necessary 
for  the  preservation  of  these  creatures ;  but  they  must  be  administered 
in  a  just  proportion  :  too  much  or  too  little  would  be  equally  prejudi- 
cial, and  destructive  of  the  order  of  nature.  A  great  increase  of  heat 
would  be  fatal  to  all  hving  creatures ;  for  if  our  earth,  taken  as  a 
whole,  received  more  heat  from  the  sun,  in  every  climate  the  summer 
must  necessarily  be  hotter  than  it  now  is  ;  and  experience  teaches  us 
that  in  all  countries  the  heat  is  sometimes  so  great,  that  if  it  was  only 
increased  in  a  very  small  degree,  either  in  intensity  or  duration,  ani- 
mals would  die,  and  vegetables  be  parched  up.  On  the  contrary,  if 
we  had  less  heat  we  should  not  fare  better ;  since  at  present  the  cold 
is  sometimes  so  severe,  that  animals  are  often  frozen  to  death. 

The  earth,  then,  receives  from  the  sun  that  proportion  of  heat 
which  is  best  adapted  to  the  state  of  all  living  creatures,  and  any 
other  degree  of  temperature  might  be  prejudicial  to  them.    As  exact 


404 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


a  proportion  is  also  observed  with  regard  to  air.  The  rising  of  vapours 
principally  depends  upon  the  heaviness  of  the  air,  and  the  descent  of 
rain  npon  its  lightness.  If  the  air  was  not  capable  of  being  con- 
densed and  alternately  rarefied,  of  becoming  at  one  time  heavy,  at 
another  light,  we  should  not  have  that  diversity  of  temperature  so 
necessary  to  the  vegetation  of  plants  and  the  life  of  animals.  If  the 
air  was  usually  heavier  than  it  is,  it  would  be  more  charged  with 
vapours,  clouds,  and  fogs  ;  and  from  its  great  humidity  would  be  un- 
wholesome, and  injurious  to  plants  and  animals.  If,  on  the  contrary, 
it  was  hghter,  vapours  would  not  ascend,  nor  collect  in  form  of  clouds. 
It  is  the  same  every  where  :  nature  always  observes  a  just  medium  ; 
as  all  the  elements  are  arranged  in  that  manner  which  is  best  fitted 
for  the  preservation  of  animals,  they  are  also  in  perfect  harmony  with 
all  other  natural  things.  The  air  is  not  only  the  medium  in  which 
those  variations  of  temperature  so  necessary  are  produced  ;  it  is  also 
the  medium  of  sound,  and  has  been  appropriated  to  our  ear ;  thus 
manifesting  the  operation  of  a  marvellous  wisdom  ;  for  if  the  air  had 
been  more  or  less  elastic,  denser  or  more  rare,  than  it  actually  is,  the 
ear  would  have  suffered  in  consequence  ;  and  the  human  voice,  now 
so  sweet  and  harmonious,  would  have  been  more  like  the  report  of 
thunder,  or  the  hissing  of  serpents.  The  air  also  contributes  to  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  and  penetrates  into  the  smallest  vessels. 
There  are  numerous  other  relations  between  the  air  and  diflferent 
beings ;  and  in  every  instance  it  has  all  the  properties  that  each 
requires. 

If,  then,  we  consider  that  many  thousand  species  of  plants  and 
animals  have  an  equal  want  of  air,  heat,  and  light ;  that  each  of 
these  species  is  different  from  all  the  rest,  that  each  has  its  certain 
and  peculiar  characteristics,  that  it  is  w^eaker  or  stronger  than  others, 
and  that,  notwithstanding  this,  the  elements  are  equally  well  adapted 
to  all,  and  suflficient  to  supply  so  many  and  such  diflferent  wants  ;  we 
must  acknowledge  that  a  boundless  wisdom,  which  yields  to  no  diffi- 
culties,  has  alone  established  the  foundation  of  the  universal  connex- 
ion and  wonderful  harmony  that  reign  throughout  nature,  and  link 
together  every  being  in  the  firm  bonds  of  union. 

In  fine,  every  thing  in  nature  is  weighed,  measured,  and  numbered, 
and  destined  to  certain  purposes.  Not  only  the  trees  which  rise  so 
majestically,  the  plants  which  have  such  beautiful  forms,  the  fields 
and  the  fertile  meadows,  the  horse  that  renders  us  so  many  faithful 
services,  the  flocks  w^hich  feed  and  clothe  us,  the  mines  that  yield  us 
ornaments  and  riches,  the  sea  that  supphes  our  table  with  the  choicest 
luxuries,  and  which  floats  our  navy  to  either  pole,  the  stars  which 
shine  upon  the  earth  ;  not  only  all  these  brilliant  productions  of  nature, 
but  the  humblest  mosses,  insects,  and  shell-fish,  combine  in  the  gene- 
ral sum  of  perfection. 

Infinitely  powerful  Being  !  Creator  and  Preserver  of  all  things  I 
Can  I  contemplate  these  objects  without  thinking  of  thee,  and 
reverencing  thy  wisdom  1  Without  thee  all  would  be  darkness,  con- 
fusion, and  disorder  ;  without  thy  salutary  influence  there  would  be 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


405 


no  order,  harmony,  or  pleasure  in  the  earth.  It  is  thy  wisdom  which 
beautifies,  enriches,  and  preserves  all ;  it  vivifies  and  renders  happy  all 
the  creation  ;  and  henceforth,  and  for  ever,  shall  be  the  subject  of  rny 
songs.  I  will  unceasingly  bless  thee,  O  God,  and  sing  hymns  of 
praise  to  thy  honour  ;  for  unto  thee  appertains  all  wisdom,  power,  and 
glory. 


NOVEMBER  III. 

REFLECTIONS  UPON  THE  SUMMER  WHICH  IS  PASSED* 

The  fine  summer  days  are  now  gone,  and,  except  the  sweet  remem- 
brance of  our  having  once  enjoyed  them,  have  only  left  us  emblems 
of  frailty.  How  all  the  face  of  nature  is  changed  !  The  rays  of  the 
sun  faintly  pass  through  the  gloomy  clouds,  and  fall  upon  gardens 
stripped  of  flowers,  upon  fields  where  scarcely  any  traces  of  cultiva- 
tion remain,  and  upon  hills  where  only  a  few  scattered  herbs  are  seen. 
The  soft  melody  of  the  birds  no  longer  floats  on  the  air  ;  and  the 
mournful  silence  which  universally  prevails  is  only  interrupted  by  the 
croaking  of  ravens,  and  the  shrill  cries  of  birds  of  passage,  which  leave 
us  while  they  seek  more  temperate  climes.  The  neighbouring  moun- 
tains are  deserted ;  the  flocks  have  forsaken  them  ;  the  bleating  of 
lambs  is  not  heard  ;  and  the  flower-beds  in  our  gardens  are  laid  waste. 
How  dull  and  gloomy  are  the  fields  which  lately  were  so  beautiful ! 
Their  delightful  verdure  is  succeeded  by  a  melancholy  aspect,  and 
their  charms  are  withered.  The  clouds  are  heavy  with  rain,  and 
thick  mists  veil  the  morning  sun. 

Such  are  the  prospects  which  nature  now  presents  ;  and  who  can 
contemplate  them  without  thinking  on  the  frailty  and  uncertainty  of 
all  earthljT-  things  1  The  fine  days  are  no  more ;  even  whilst  we 
were  anxious  to  enjoy  them  they  fled  away.  But  have  we  a  right  to 
murmur  at,  or  to  question  the  dispensations  of  Providence  1  Certainly 
not.  Let  us  rather  call  to  mind  those  delightful  summer  days,  and 
the  innocent  pleasures  we  then  enjoyed,  and  we  shall  bless  and  adore 
the  God  of  the  seasons.  What  sweet  sensations  have  we  not  experi- 
enced, what  pure  joys  have  visited  our  souls,  when  we  contemplated 
the  beauties  of  nature  ;  when  we  watched  the  mountains  and  the 
valleys  gradually  become  green  ;  when  tlie  carols  of  the  lark  were 
heard  among  the  clouds,  and  the  plaintive  melody  of  the  nightingale 
stole  upon  the  breeze,  or  poured  along  the  groves ;  when  we  inhaled 
the  fragrant  breath  of  the  flowers  ;  when  Aurora,  rising  from  her  rosy 
bed,  smiled  upon  nature,  and  diffused  around  her  joy  and  festivity ; 
or  when  the  forests  and  the  hills  glowed  with  the  parting  rays  of  the 
sun,  retired  beneath  the  western  main  !  How  rich  are  the  presents 
we  have  received  from  the  gardens,  the  fields,  and  the  orchards  ! 
How  exquisite  the  raptures  of  our  imagination,  and  the  pleasure  of 
our  senses  !    And  can  we  think  of  the  lovely  months  that  are  past 


406 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


without  experiencing  the  sweetest  ennotions,  and  blessing  the  great 
Parent  of  nature,  who  has  crowned  the  year  witii  his  blessings  ? 

We  now  live  upon  the  gifts  of  summer  and  autumn.  We  have 
seen  with  what  activity  nature  laboured  in  those  delightful  seasons, 
to  accomplish  the  beneficent  views  of  the  Creator  in  favour  of  man. 
How  many  plants  and  flowers  has  not  the  spring  caused  to  bud ;  how 
many  fruits  has  not  the  summer  ripened  ;  and  how  many  harvests  are 
gathered  in  autumn  !  At  present  the  earth  has  completed  her  designs 
for  this  year,  and  is  now  going  to  enjoy  a  short  repose. 

Thus  nature  is  continually  active  during  the  greatest  part  of  the 
year  ;  and  even  during  the  time  of  her  apparent  cessation  from  labour 
is  not  entirely  idle,  but  is  secretly  preparing  for  a  new  creation.  Let 
us  ask  ourselves  the  question.  Have  we  been  equally  industrious  1 
Have  we  so  employed  our  time  as  to  produce  fruits  ?  The  husband- 
man now  counts  his  sheaves ;  and  shall  we  not  be  able  to  reckon 
some  virtues,  some  good  works'?  Have  the  pleasures  of  summer 
rendered  us  better,  and  more  grateful  1  Have  we,  whilst  contemplat- 
ing the  beauties  of  nature,  lifted  our  hearts  towards  God  ?  What  have 
been  our  occupations  during  the  long  summer  days  ?  Have  they 
contributed  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of  our  fellow-crea- 
tures ?  While  contemplating  the  sun,  the  flowers,  and  all  that  is 
interesting  in  nature,  have  we  experienced  such  sentiments  as  the 
view  of  so  magnificent  a  spectacle  ought  to  excite  1  And  can  we 
testify  that  this  summer,  like  many  others,  has  not  been  lost  upon  us  ? 

We  are  still  blessed  with  life,  and  enjoy  the  power  of  reflecting 
upon  the  spring  and  the  summer  which  are  just  departed  ;  but  since 
the  first  dawning  of  spring,  ere  the  summer  sun  looked  down  upon 
the  earth,  how  many  souls  have  passed  from  these  regions  of  day  into 
the  dreary  confines  of  death  !  It  is  right,  O  Lord,  that  we,  whom  in 
thy  merciful  condescension  thou  yet  permittest  to  draw  the  breath  of 
life,  should  bless  thee  for  our  existence.  But  the  period  hastens  when 
we  shall  also  depart ;  perhaps  we  shall  never  behold  the  bloom  of 
another  summer.  Let  each  one  of  us,  then,  seriously  reflect  upon 
the  account  he  will  have  to  give,  when  called  upon,  of  the  days  which 
we  have  passed,  and  supplicate  the  God  of  mercy  not  to  enter  into 
judgment  with  us. 


NOVEMBER  IV. 

INCONVENIENCE  OF  THE  NIGHT. 

At  this  season  the  nights  become  considerably  longer,  and  certainly 
this  arrangement  is  in  some  respects  unpleasant.  Though  a  part  of 
the  night  is  allotted  to  strengthen  and  refresh  us  by  sleep,  this  very 
operation  is  a  proof  of  our  weak  and  frail  nature.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  night  all  our  labours  are  interrupted,  not  only  from  the  want 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


407 


of  light,  but  equally  as  much  from  the  necessity  of  reposing  our 
wearied  nature,  and  recruiting  our  exhausted  strength. 

It  is,  then,  by  no  means  extraordinary,  that  the  nights  appear  long 
and  tedious  when  we  are  restless  and  sleep  eludes  our  desires.  How 
anxiously  the  sick  man  counts  the  hours,  and  longs  for  the  approach 
of  morning  ! 

Another  inconvenience  of  night  is  that  we  are  liable  to  lose  our 
way,  and  encounter  fatal  disasters.  When  the  son  has  withdrawn 
his  light,  and  night  has  spread  her  mantle  over  the  earth,  the  travel- 
ler woanders  uncertain  of  his  way,  and,  unable  to  trace  the  path,  falls 
among  briers  and  thorns,  bogs  and  quagmires  ;  or,  stepping  over  the 
precipice,  is  plunged  into  the  gulf  below.  In  the  night-time  we  are 
also  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the  villain  and  the  depredations  of  the 
plunderer,  either  abroad,  or  when  we  are  retired  to  rest ;  for  darkness 
conceals  the  steel  of  the  murderer,  and  veils  the  deeds  of  iniquity. 
Another  inconvenience  of  night  is  the  cold  that  then  generally  pre- 
vails ;  and  by  its  regular  return  we  are  constantly  presented  with 
an  emblem  of  death. 

There  is  neither  continual  day  nor  night  upon  the  earth  ;  and 
though  the  hours  of  darkness  are  so  many  during  the  winter,  and  even 
during  the  summer  the  return  of  darkness  constantly  divides  the  day, 
it  is  yet  certain  that  God  has  favoured  our  globe  with  more  light  than 
darkness  ;  an  advantage  which  is  still  more  increased  by  the  twilight, 
as  well  as  the  light  of  the  moon  and  stars.  Blessed,  then,  be  the  Lord 
for  the  light  of  the  moon  and  of  the  stars ;  for  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and 
the  splendour  of  the  noon-day !  And  more  especially  may  his  name 
be  blessed  for  the  glorious  light  which  his  gospel  has  diffused  through 
the  deep  night  of  ignorance  or  error,  and  of  miser3^  Pure  rays  have 
descended  from  heaven  to  illuminate  the  gloom  in  which  we  were  in- 
volved ;  and  let  us  ever  remember  in  our  darkest  nights,  in  our  mo- 
ments of  sorrow  and  adversity,  that  we  are  hastening  on  towards  the 
regions  of  light  and  joy.  Should  it  at  any  time  happen  that  in  the 
midst  of  midnight  darkness  sleep  forsakes  us,  and  disease  or  afflictions 
cause  us  to  number  the  melancholy  hours,  let  us  console  ourselves 
with  the  reflection  that  we  are  not  plunged  in  the  hopeless  certainty 
of  an  eternal  night ;  but  that  we  are  advancing  towards  the  heavenly 
kingdom,  the  happy  region,  where  night  will  not  exist,  where  dark- 
ness will  cease  to  alternate  with  light,  and  where  will  be  no  sickness, 
distress,  or  sorrow. 

Blessed  be  the  Almighty  that  the  night  of  ignorance  and  misery 
which  envelops  us  in  gloom  is  not  eternal.  Heaven  and  endless 
glory  shall  be  the  portion  of  the  righteous.  Hasten  on,  thou  sun,  and 
ye  radiant  stars,  that  blaze  in  the  firmament,  hasten  to  finish  the 
course  which  is  prescribed  to  you ;  that  the  time  of  trial,  the  revolu- 
tions of  day  and  of  night,  the  months  and  the  years  which  are  allot- 
ted me,  may  be  speedily  terminated.  Enable  me,  thou  light  of  faith, 
to  hail  the  dawn  of  that  glorious  day  when  the  season  of  night  and 
the  darkness  which  now  encompass  me  shall  vanish  for  ever !  Blessed 
morning  of  eternity,  hasten  to  open  thy  bright  portals,  and  crown  my 


408 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


anxious  hopes  !  My  soul  longs  to  wing  its  fliglit  to  those  happy  abodes 
of  the  righteous,  to  that  fair  city  which  endureth  for  ever,  where  eter- 
nal day  reigns,  and  no  night,  no  weariness,  retards  the  progress  to  all 
perfection,  knowledge,  and  felicity. 


NOVEMBER  V. 

WOODS  AND  FORESTS. 

The  surface  of  the  earth  presents  not  to  the  eye  a  more  beautiful 
picture  than  that  of  woods  and  extensive  forests  ;  and  an  enlightened 
observer,  who  calls  every  thing  excellent  that  is  good  and  useful,  finds 
in  them  much  that  is  worthy  of  his  attention.  Let  us,  then,  visit 
these  woodland  scenes,  which  will  supply  us  with  so  many  sources  of 
admiration  and  gratitude. 

While  our  walks  in  the  fields  and  meadows  are  less  agreeable  than 
they  were  in  the  late  fine  season,  the  forests  will  be  more  interesting, 
and  productive  of  real  pleasure.  There  is  no  place  more  proper  to 
dispose  our  minds  to  reflect  upon  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the 
works  of  nature  than  a  lonely  wood  :  the  solitude  of  the  place,  and  the 
profound  silence  which  reigns  there,  dispose  the  mind  to  look  back 
upon  itself,  and  awaken  the  powers  of  the  imagination. 

At  first  the  number  and  variety  of  the  trees  attract  our  attention. 
What  distinguishes  them  from  each  other  is  not  so  much  their  height 
as  the  difference  that  is  observable  in  their  manner  of  growing,  in 
their  leaves,  and  in  their  wood.  The  resinous  pine  is  not  remarkable 
for  the  beauty  of  its  leaves,  which  are  narrow  and  pointed,  but,  like 
those  of  the  fir-tree,  they  last  long,  and  their  verdure  during  the  win- 
ter is  very  pleasing.  The  foliage  of  the  lime-tree,  the  ash,  and  the 
beech,  is  much  more  beautiful  and  diversified ;  their  verdure  is  ad- 
mirable, it  cheers  and  refreshes  the  sight ;  and  the  broad  dentated 
leaves  of  some  of  these  trees  are  beautifully  contrasted  with  the  nar- 
rower and  more  fibrous  leaves  of  others.  We  are  yet  but  imperfectly 
acquainted  with  their  seed,  fecundation,  and  the  different  properties 
of  their  fruits.  How  many  uses  are  made  of  the  wood  of  trees  !  The 
oak,  whose  growth  is  very  slow,  and  whose  leaves  do  not  appear  till 
those  of  most  other  trees  are  in  bloom,  supplies  us  with  a  very  hard 
and  durable  sort  of  wood,  which  art  knows  how  to  employ  in  a  great 
variety  of  works,  which  are  so  lasting  as  in  some  instances  to  brave 
the  ravages  of  time.  The  lighter  kinds  of  wood  serve  for  other  pur- 
poses ;  and  as  they  are  the  most  abundant,  and  grow  quicker  than 
any  other,  they  are  of  more  general  utility. 

It  is  to  forest-trees  that  we  are  indebted  for  great  part  of  our  houses 
and  our  ships,  for  fuel,  and  for  various  implements,  furniture,  and 
utensils.  The  industry  of  man  leads  him  to  polish,  turn,  and  carve 
wood  into  a  variety  of  works  not  less  elegant  than  useful. 

The  divine  wisdom  has  distributed  forests  over  the  earth  with 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


409 


more  or  less  abundance.  In  some  countries  they  are  very  distant 
from  each  other;  in  others  they  occupy  many  leagues,  and  rise  ma- 
jestically into  the  air.  The  want  of  wood  in  some  countries  is  com- 
pensated by  its  abundance  in  others ;  and  neither  the  continual  use 
that  men  make  of  it,  the  destruction  of  it  by  accidental  conflagrations, 
nor  the  great  quantities  consumed  in  severe  winters,  have  been  able 
to  exhaust  this  rich  gift  of  nature.  In  the  lapse  of  twenty  years  we 
may  see  a  forest  where  we  before  only  saw  some  low  copse,  or  a  few 
scattered  trees. 

All  this  ought  to  convince  us  of  the  power  and  goodness  of  our 
heavenly  Father,  whose  wisdom  is  so  superior  to  that  of  mortals,  and 
who  has  foreseen  the  necessities  of  men  in  all  possible  circumstances. 
In  those  countries  where  the  cold  is  most  severe,  or  where  wood  is 
chiefly  wanted  for  the  purposes  of  navigation,  the  most  extensive 
forests  grow  ;  and  from  their  unequal  distribution  a  very  lucrative 
source  of  commerce  is  derived,  forming  a  new  bond  of  connexion 
amongst  men.  We  all  participate  in  the  numerous  advantages 
which  woods  afford  ;  and  in  creating  forests  God  has  provided  for  the 
good  of  each  individual.  Blessed  be  our  heavenly  Father,  who  has 
mercifully  vouchsafed  to  interest  himself  on  our  behalf,  before  we  even 
felt  our  wants,  or  could  represent  them  to  him  !  In  every  thing  he 
has  anticipated  our  desires ;  and  may  we  each  individually  endea- 
vour, by  fulfilling  the  great  ends  of  our  creation,  to  pay  the  tribute  of 
gratitude,  of  love,  and  of  praise,  so  justly  due  to  the  God  of  all 
goodness ! 

It  has  not  been  intrusted  to  the  care  of  man  to  plant  and  maintain 
forests ;  God  has  reserved  this  labour  to  himself ;  he  plants  and  pre- 
serves the  trees,  while  man  has  little  share  in  their  cultivation. 
They  grow  and  multiply  independently  of  our  cares  ;  they  continually 
repair  their  losses  by  new  shoots,  and  are  always  sufficiently  abundant 
to  supply  our  necessities.  To  be  convinced  of  this  we  need  only  con- 
sider the  seeds  of  the  lime-tree,  the  maple,  and  the  elm  :  from  these 
small  seeds  vast  trunks  proceed,  whose  leafy  tops  rise  into  the  clouds. 
It  is  the  Almighty  God  who  alone  has  established  them,  and  who 
supports  them  for  ages  against  the  efforts  of  winds  and  the  shocks  of 
tempests.  It  is  he  who  sends  the  dew  and  rain  yearly,  to  recruit  the 
verdure  and  preserve  their  youth. 

The  earth  which  bears  the  forests  does  not  create  them,  neither,  to 
speak  correctly,  does  it  nourish  them.  The  verdure,  the  seeds,  and 
the  blossoms  of  trees,  which  they  yearly  lose,  and  yearly  renew,  and 
the  sap  which  is  continually  dissipated,  are  losses  which  would  at 
length  exhaust  the  earth  if  it  alone  supphed  them.  Of  itself  it  is  a 
heavy,  dry,  and  barren  mass,  which  draws  from  other  sources  the 
juices  and  nourishment  which  it  conveys  to  trees  and  plants.  The 
principles  of  their  growth  do  not  proceed  from  the  earth  ;  the  air  fur- 
nishes in  abundance  water,  salt,  oil,  heat,  and  all  other  matter  which 
trees  require. 

Let  us,  thus  favoured  with  so'many  blessings,  contemplate  that  Be- 
ing who  is  the  Author  of  all  our  good.    The  forests  and  the  woods 
35  33 


410 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


are  the  heralds  of  his  bounty  ;  and  we  should  be  guilty  of  the  basest 
ingratitude  if  we  did  not  acknowledge  this  benefit,  which  we  witness 
daily  in  our  houses  and  in  our  gardens,  or  wherever  we  direct  our 
view. 


NOVEMBER  VI. 

THE   SENSE  OF  FEELING  IN  ANIMALS. 

Feeling  may  be  justly  regarded  as  the  universal  sense  of  animals, 
and  the  foundation  of  all  other  sensations  ;  for  seeing,  hearing,  smell- 
ing, and  tasting,  cannot  take  place  without  an  impression  being  made. 
As  the  sense  of  feeling  operates  differently  in  seeing  from  what  it 
does  in  hearing,  and  in  hearing  from  what  it  does  in  the  other  organs 
of  sensation,  we  may  with  propriety  distinguish  the  sense  of  touch, 
properly  so  called,  from  that  universal  sensation  which  we  have  just 
mentioned.  They  are  both  produced  through  the  medium  of  the 
nerves.  These,  of  which  anatomists  enumerate  ten  principal  pair, 
resemble  small  cords  or  filaments  united  together,  derive  their  origin 
from  the  brain,  and  are  distributed  to  every  part  of  the  body.  W^her- 
ever  there  are  nerves,  there  may  be  sensations;  and  wherever  is  the 
seat  of  any  particular  sense,  there  will  also  be  found  nerves  that  are 
the  general  organs  of  that  sensation.  There  are  optic  nerves  and 
auditory  nerves,  olfactory  nerves  and  gustatory  nerves,  as  well  as 
nerves  subservient  to  the  sense  of  feeling,  that  like  it  are  distributed 
to  every  part  of  the  body.  These  nerves  proceed  from  the  brain ; 
whilst  others  pass  off  from  the  spinal  marrow,  through  the  lateral 
openings  of  the  vertebrte,  and  are  then  distributed  to  every  part  by 
innumerable  ramifications.  The  nerves  subservient  to  the  general 
sense  of  feeling  are  also  found  in  the  organs  of  all  the  other  senses, 
because,  independently  of  their  own  particular  sensations,  each  of 
these  organs  must  be  susceptible  of  feeling.  Hence  the  eyes,  ears, 
nose,  and  mouth,  receive  impressions  that  altogether  depend  upon 
feeling,  and  are  not  produced  by  the  nerves  proper  to  these  organs. 

That  sensation  is  produced  through  the  medium  of  the  nerves  is 
certain,  for  each  part  feels  more  acutely  in  proportion  as  its  number 
of  nerves  is  greater  ;  and  there  is  no  feeling  in  those  parts  where  the 
nerves  are  destroyed,  or  where  no  nerves  exist.  Incisions  may  be 
made  in  the  fat,  bones  may  be  amputated,  nails  pared,  and  hairs  cut, 
without  any  pain  being  inflicted  ;  or  if  any  is  supposed  to  be  felt,  it 
is  merely  the  effect  of  the  imagination.  The  bones  are  enveloped  in 
a  nervous  membrane,  and  the  nails  are  attached  to  a  part  where  many 
nerves  intersect  each  other,  forming  what  is  called  a  plexus  of  nerves  ; 
and  pain  is  only  felt  when  some  of  these  are  wounded  or  irritated.  So 
that  when  we  feel  the  pain  commonly  called  toothache,  the  tooth, 
being  a  bone,  is  not  susceptible  of  feeling,  but  the  nerve  attached  to 


.STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


411 


it  is  extreiTiely  sensible,  and  occasions  us  to  feel  the  i^iost  acute  pain 
when  it  is  irritated. 

In  thus  difTusing-  the  sense  of  feeling  over  the  whole  body,  the 
Creator  has  evidently  had  our  well-being  in  view.  The  other  senses 
are  situated  in  those  parts  where  they  can  most  conveniently  perform 
their  functions.  And  as  it  was  necessary  for  the  preservation  and 
welfare  of  the  whole  body,  that  each  of  its  parts  should  be  informed 
of  what  might  be  useful  or  prejudicial,  agreeable  or  disagreeable,  it 
w^as  necessary  that  the  sense  of  feeling  should  be  diffused  over  every 
part  of  the  body.  It  is  a  still  farther  proof  of  divine  wisdom,  that 
several  species  of  animals  have  the  sense  of  feeling  more  acute  than 
falls  to  the  lot  of  men  :  for  their  acuteness  of  fueling  is  necessary  in 
their  mode  of  life,  and  compensates  their  deprivation  of  some  oiher 
senses.  The  horns  of  the  snail,  for  example,  possess  an  exquisite 
sense  of  feeling,  and  the  least  obstacle  causes  them  to  be  drawn  in 
with  extreme  celerity.  How  delicate  also  is  the  feehng  of  the  spider, 
since  in  the  midst  of  the  web  which  it  has  so  ingeniously  woven,  it 
perceives  the  slightest  vibrations  which  the  approach  of  an  insect  may 
occasion  !  Without  dwelling,  however,  upon  the  sense  of  feeling  in 
animals,  it  is  sufficient  to  consider  it  in  man  for  our  admiration  to  be 
abundantly  called  forth.  How  can  the  nerves,  which  seem  to  be 
merely  susceptible  of  more  or  less  length,  breadth,  tension,  and  vibra- 
tion, transuiic  to  the  soul  so  many  different  impressions  and  sensations'? 
Is  there  between  the  soul  and  the  body  such  a  connexion,  that  nerves 
of  a  determinate  size,  structure,  and  tension,  shall  always  produce 
certain  sensations  ?  Has  each  organ  of  sense  nerves  so  constituted, 
so  analogous  to  the  small  particles  of  matter  which  emanate  from 
bodies,  that  the  impressions  they  receive  from  them  should  be  always 
followed  by  certain  determinate  sensations  ]  To  these  questions  it 
may  be  answered,  that  our  knowledge  upon  the  subject  is  too  limited 
to  ascertain  the  immediate  cause  of  these  effects,  and  we  are  obliged 
with  all  humility  to  acknowledge,  that  the  mystery  is  at  present 
impenetrable. 

Let  us,  then,  be  content,  and  give  thanks  unto  God,  that  with  the 
other  senses  which  he  has  bestowed  upon  us,  he  has  also  granted  us 
that  of  feeling.  If  our  bodies  possessed  less  sensibility,  of  how  many 
pleasures  should  we  not  be  deprived  1  We  could  neither  have  dis- 
cerned what  would  be  advantageous  to  us,  nor  what  w^ould  have  been 
prejudicial.  Happy  would  it  be  if  we  had  as  exquisite  a  sense  of 
what  is  good  for  our  souls;  if  we  rightly  appreciated  what  is  excellent 
and  honest ;  if  our  desire  for  holiness  equalled  our  love  of  pleasure. 


412 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


NOVEMBER  VII. 

REMEMBRANCE  OF  THE  BLESSINGS  WHICH  WE   ENJOYED  IN  SPRING 

AND  SUMMER. 

Let  US  assemble  together,  and  acknowledge  the  goodness  of  our 
God.  Let  us  gratefully  remember  the  moments  that  have  sweetly 
ghded  away,  while  we  reposed  on  the  bosom  of, jo}^  and,  free  from 
care  and  inquietude,  suffered  our  hearts  to  expand  with  delight  at  the 
renewal  of  nature ;  when  devotion  accompanied  us  to  the  verdant 
bower,  and  every  tinge  of  melancholy  was  effaced  from  our  abodes  ; 
and  while  we  walked  along  the  flowery  paths,  every  where  beholding 
the  joyful  traces  of  the  Deity. 

VV^hen  from  the  thick  bush,  whose  leafy  shade  had  attracted  the 
aerial  songsters,  burst  upon  our  ears  melody  more  ravishing  than  the 
sounds  of  the  sweetest  flute,  and  produced  those  exquisite  sensations 
which  fill  the  heart  with  delight,  and  dispose  the  mind  to  enjoy  the 
pleasures  of  friendship,  harmony,  and  peace  ;  smiling  nature  lavished 
upon  us  her  sweets,  and  we  inhaled  the  fragrant  breath  of  the  rose  ; 
whilst  the  pink  and  hyacinth  diffused  their  odours  far  around;  and  the 
zephyrs,  gently  playing  upon  the  yielding  flowers  before  night  had 
closed  their  charms,  wafted  over  us  the  scented  gale ;  then  pure 
delight  and  soft  emotions  glowed  in  our  hearts,  our  souls  confessed 
the  sweet  transport,  and  our  lips,  singing  in  unison  with  the  warbling^ 
of  the  birds,  attuned  the  praise  of  the  eternal  God. 

Often  when  cool  breezes  had  refreshed  the  burning  summer  air, 
and  the  birds  began  to  be  animated  with  new  life  and  vigour ;  when 
the  clouds  dispersing  had  left  the  deep  azure  of  heaven  clear,  and  the 
sun  promised  a  continuance  of  his  unobscured  splendour ;  pleasure 
lent  us  wings,  and  in  sportive  mood  we  quitted  the  noise  and  tumult 
of  the  town  to  rove  in  the  green  fields,  or  repose  in  the  shady  bower. 
There  no  trouble  assailed  us ;  wisdom,  piety,  joy,  and  innocence 
attended  us,  whilst  in  some  sequestered  retreat  we  indulged  the  love 
of  nature.  The  leaves,  gently  breathed  upon  by  the  evening  gale, 
while  they  formed  around  us  a  pleasing  shade,  diffused  a  refreshing 
coolness  ;  and  nature  there  drew  from  the  richest  springs  that  con- 
tentment which  she  bestows  only  upon  the  pure  heart.  There  our 
bosoms,  filled  with  the  sweetest  emotions  of  our  ow^n  happiness,  and 
love  of  our  Creator,  throbbed  with  joy,  till  the  ready  tear  started  from 
our  eyes. 

The  gay  songs  from  the  groves  poured  through  our  hearts  pleasure 
and  gratitude.  The  joyful  bleating  of  the  flocks  in  the  fat  pasture, 
the  wild  note  of  the  shepherd's  pipe,  and  the  buzzing  of  the  beetle  as 
it  fluttered  among  the  flowers,  all  impressed  our  souls  with  joy,  and 
elevated  our  thoughts  to  the  Creator,  whose  wisdom  was  thus  dis- 
played in  the  waters,  in  the  air,  in  the  cattle,  the  insects,  and  the 
flowers.  The  country  all  cheerful  and  gay,  like  the  happy  abode  of 
our  first  parents,  presented  itself  before  us.   Skirting  the  distant  hori- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


413 


zon,  we  perceived  the  dark  shade  of  ancient  forests,  and  hills  gilded 
by  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  beautiful  mixture  of  the  most  diversified 
colours,  rural  flowers,  golden  harvest ;  the  rich  verdure  of  the  carpet 
wrought  by  the  hands  of  nature  ;  the  treasures  of  the  meadows;  the 
sweet  food  of  the  grazing  herbs,  that  yielded  us  their  wholesome 
milk;  the  bread  of  man  yet  green  in  the  ear;  were  all  objects  suffi- 
cient to  call  forth  the  praise  and  the  gratitude  of  a  feeling  heart. 

There  nature  displayed  before  our  ravished  senses  the  majesty  and 
the  beauty  of  her  eternal  Author ;  and  we  then  said,  This  magnifi- 
cent universe  is  too  beautiful,  too  grand,  to  be  the  abode  of  men  who 
can  regard  it  without  emotion.  For  man  the  wings  of  the  wind  waft 
their  refreshing  breezes  ;  for  him  the  rivulets  pour  along  their  mur- 
muring streams,  while  at  noontide  he  rests  from  his  labours,  and 
seeks  the  cool  retreat ;  for  him  the  corn  sprouts,  and  the  trees  bring 
forth  their  fruits  ;  all  the  creation  serves  him,  and  he  regards  it  not. 

Yet  those  who  love  their  Lord  will  discover  in  the  breeze  and  in  the 
brook,  in  the  fields  and  in  the  flowers,  in  the  blade  of  grass  and  in  the 
ear  of  corn,  traces  of  his  eternal  sapience,  and  proofs  of  his  unutter- 
able love  and  power.  The  vast  creation  is  the  sanctuary  of  God ; 
the  world  is  a  temple  consecrated  to  his  glory  ;  and  man  was  designed 
to  be  as  the  priest  of  nature,  and  not  the  oppressive,  destructive  ty- 
rant of  defenceless  beings. 


NOVEMBER  VIIL 

FOREIGN  ANIMALS. 

Every  portion  of  the  earth  has  animals  peculiar  to  itself,  and  the 
Creator  has  placed  them  in  one  country  in  preference  to  another,  for 
the  wisest  reasons.  The  elephant  and  the  camel  are  the  most  re- 
markable animals  of  the  southern  countries.  They  surpass  all  others 
in  size  :  the  elephant,  in  particular,  is  like  a  living  mountain,  and  his 
legs  are  like  pillars.  His  head  is  fixed  upon  a  very  short  neck,  and 
armed  with  two  weapons  of  defence,  with  which  he  is  able  to  tear  the 
trees  up  by  the  roots.  With  a  longer  neck  he  could  not  have  sup- 
ported the  weight  of  his  head,  nor  have  kept  it  in  an  elevated  posi- 
tion :  to  make  up  for  this  he  has  a  very  long  trunk,  which  he  uses  as 
a  hand  to  reach  food  to  his  mouth  without  being  obliged  to  stoop  for 
it.  He  can  not  only  move,  bend,  and  turn  his  trunk  in  all  directions, 
to  perform  what  we  do  with  our  fingers,  but  he  also  uses  it  as  an  organ 
of  sensation.  His  eyes  are  small  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  his 
body,  but  they  are  brilliant,  full  of  fire,  and  very  expressive.  In  a 
state  of  nature  the  elephant,  though  wild,  is  neither  sanguinary  nor 
ferocious  ;  his  disposition  is  gentle,  and  he  only  uses  his  natural  wea- 
pons for  self-defence.  Unless  he  is  provoked,  he  does  no  one  any 
harm  ;  but  when  irritated,  and  roused  by  ill  treatment,  he  is  terrible  ; 
he  seizes  his  enemy  with  his  trunk,  shakes  him  in  the  air,  and  puts 
35* 


414 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


him  out  of  existence  by  trampling  him  mider  his  feet.  He  eats  a 
hundred  pounds  of  grass  in  a  day,  and  his  body  being  of  such  an 
enormous  weight,  he  bruises  and  destroys  much  more  with  his  feet 
than  he  consumes  for  food.  His  principal  enemy,  and  often  his  con- 
queror, is  the  rhinoceros,  an  animal  which  somewhat  resembles  the 
wild  boar,  and  uses  the  horn  upon  his  nose  to  pierce  the  belly  of  the 
elephant. 

A  very  little  attention  will  be  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  discover  the 
wisdom  of  God  in  the  formation  of  the  elephant :  he  has  produced 
it  in  a  country  abounding  in  grass,  and  has  prevented  its  being  bur- 
densome to  the  earth  by  multiplying  too  fast ;  for  the  female  is  with 
young  two  years,  and  does  not  couple  with  the  male  till  three  years 
after. 

The  camel  is  one  of  the  most  useful  animals  of  the  east :  it  is  ad- 
mirably formed  to  support  the  severest  fatigues  in  the  midst  of  dry 
deserts  and  burning  sands  ;  is  able  sometimes  to  remain  four  or  five 
days  without  drinking,  and  requires  but  little  food  in  proportion  to  its 
bulk.  It  crops  the  few  plants  and  shrubs  that  grow  in  the  deserts, 
and  when  none  of  these  are  to  be  found,  a  small  quantity  of  beans 
and  barley  will  suffice  it  for  a  whole  day.  Besides  the  hump  upon 
his  back,  its  make  is  altogether  singular ;  it  has  two  gullets,  one  of 
which  terminates  in  the  stomach,  the  other  in  a  sort  of  bag,  that 
serves  as  a  reservoir  for  water,  Avhich  remains  in  it  without  becoming 
putrid  ;  and  when  the  animal  is  thirsty,  and  has  occasion  to  moisten 
its  dry  food,  it  throws  up  into  its  mouth  a  portion  of  the  water,  which 
having  performed  its  office,  returns  with  the  food  into  the  stomach. 
The  ordinary  load  of  a  camel  is  from  seven  to  eight  hundred  pounds 
Weight ;  with  this  weight  they  will  travel  several  miles  in  an  hour, 
and  continue  for  twelve  or  fifteen  hours  at  a  stretch. 

Among  the  quadrupeds  of  the  northern  regions  the  most  remark- 
able are  the  elk,  the  sable,  and  the  reindeer.  The  first  of  these  ani- 
mals is  large,  strong,  and  well-shaped.  Its  head,  in  form,  size,  and 
colour,  nearly  resembles  that  of  the  mule  ;  its  legs  are  long,  and  of 
great  strength  ;  its  skin  is  of  a  light  gray  hue.  This  animal  is  timid, 
stupid,  and  simple.  He  finds  proper  food  every  where,  but  selects, 
if  possible,  the  bark  and  young  shoots  of  the  willow  and  the  birch. 
He  is  extremely  agile,  and  with  his  long  legs  can  make  much  way  in 
a  short  time. 

The  sable  wanders  in  the  forests  of  Siberia,  and  is  much  prized  for 
its  beautiful  fur.  The  chase  of  this  animal  is  generally  the  occupa- 
tion of  those  unfortunate  wretches  who  are  exiled  to  the  deserts. 

The  reindeer  is  an  animal  of  a  beautiful  and  elegant  form,  nearly 
resembling  the  stag.  It  provides  its  own  food,  which  consists  of  moss, 
grass,  the  leaves  and  buds  of  trees.  The  inhabitants  of  the  north 
derive  great  advantages  from  it ;  they  eat  its  flesh,  drink  its  milk, 
and,  yoking  it  to  a  siedge,  are  drawn  over  the  ice  and  the  snow  with 
wonderful  speed.  All  the  wealth  of  the  Laplanders  consists  in  their 
reindeers,  whose  skins  furnish  them  with  clothes,  beds,  and  tents ; 
and  in  fact  thev  derive  from  this  animal  all  the  necessaries  of  life. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


415 


How  vast  and  extensive  is  the  empire  of  God,  who  has  formed  all 
species  of  creatures,  and  adapted  them  to  every  region  of  nature,  that 
they  may  contribute  to  the  happiness  of  his  people  in  all  parts  of  the 
globe  !   Blessed  be  his  name  for  ever  and  ever. 


NOVEMBER  IX. 

DIVERSITY  OF  WINDS. 

The  variation  of  the  winds  is  considerable.  In  some  places  they 
are  constant  during  the  whole  year,  always  blowing  in  the  same  di- 
rection ;  in  others  they  change  at  certain  periods,  and  observe  certain 
and  regular  laws.  In  the  open  sea,  between  the  tropics,  and  for  some 
degrees  beyond  them,  an  easterly  wind  continues  all  the  year  round 
without  any  considerable  variation.  To  the  north  of  the  line  the  wind 
blows  towards  the  north-east,  and  to  the  south  of  the  line  it  blows 
towards  the  south-east,  and  that  more  or  less,  according  to  the  posi- 
tion of  the  sun.  This,  however,  only  strictly  holds  in  the  open  sea  ; 
for  when  islands  and  great  continents  obstruct  the  progress  of  this 
wind,  they  may  change  its  com-se,  and  in  certain  places  make  it  take  a 
north-east  direction.  In  the  southern  parts  of  the  ocean  a  westerly 
wind  generally  prevails.  The  nearer  we  approach  the  coasts,  the 
more  variable  is  the  wind,  and  it  is  still  more  so  as  we  advance  farther 
inland. 

The  constant  east  wind  is  chiefly  caused  by  the  heat  which  the 
sun  communicates  to  our  atmosphere.  In  the  Indian  sea  there  are 
winds  named  trading  winds,  or  monsoons,  which  continue  to  blow  in 
the  same  direction  from  three  to  six  months  of  the  year,  and  during 
a  similar  space  of  time  blow  in  the  opposite  direction.  The  causes 
operating  to  produce  these  are  scarcely  yet  satisfactorily  explained  ; 
but  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  alternations  of  heat  and  cold,  the 
position  of  the  sun,  the  nature  of  the  soil,  the  inflammation  of  me- 
teors, the  condensation  of  vapours  into  rain,  and  other  similar  pheno- 
mena, have  great  effect  in  their  production.  There  are  certain  seas 
and  countries  which  have  winds  and  calms  peculiar  to  them.  In 
Egypt  and  the  Persian  gulf,  during  the  summer,  a  burning  wind, 
which  stops  respiration  and  consumes  every  thing,  very  frequently 
prevails.  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  a  cloud  is  sometimes  seen  to 
form,  which  the  inhabitants  term  the  fatal  cloud,  or  ox-eye  :  at  first 
it  is  very  small,  but  soon  visibly  increases,  and  a  furious  tempest  pro- 
ceeds from  it,  which  oversets  ships,  and  precipitates  them  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea. 

Uncertain  and  variable  winds,  which  have  no  determinate  direc- 
tion or  duration,  prevail  over  the  greatest  part  of  the  globe  ;  for  though 
certain  winds  may  blow  more  frequently  in  one  place  than  in  another, 
they  do  not  return  at  fixed  intervals,  but  begin  and  end  without  any 
regularity,  and  vary  in  proportion  as  different  causes  interrupt  the 


416 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


equilibrium  of  the  air.  Heat  and  cold,  rain  and  fine  weather,  moun- 
tains, straits,  capes,  and  promontories,  may  contribute,  in  a  consider- 
able deg-ree,  to  impede  their  course  and  change  their  direction.  No 
doubt  many  other  causes,  which  are  unknown  to  us,  influence  the 
different  modifications  and  agitations  of  the  air. 

What  is  particularly  remarkable,  and  daily  occurs  in  almost  every 
place,  is,  that  a  little  before  sunrise  the  air  is  perfectly  still  and  calm, 
when  in  a  few  moments  after,  just  at  the  break  of  morning,  a  pretty 
brisk  east  wind  begins  to  rise  at  the  approach  of  the  sun,  and  conti- 
nues some  time  after  he  is  risen.  This  undoubtedly  proceeds  from 
the  air,  heated  by  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  becoming  rarefied,  and 
by  its  consequent  expansion  displaces  the  contiguous  air,  and  then 
produces  an  east  wind,  which  ceases  as  the  surrounding  air  also  be- 
comes heated.  For  similar  reasons  an  east  wind  ought  always  to 
precede  the  sun  in  the  torrid  zone,  and  blow  much  stronger  than  in 
this  country,  because  the  sun's  power  here  is  much  less  than  in  the 
regions  bordering  upon  the  Une.  The  wind,  then,  in  the  torrid  zone 
constantly  blows  from  east  lowest,  whilst  a  west  wind  very  rarely 
prevails  in  those  parts. 

From  these  observations  we  learn  that  winds  are  not  the  effects  of 
chance,  without  either  cause  or  design.  In  these,  as  in  every  thing 
else,  the  Creator  manifests  his  wisdom  and  goodness ;  and  he  has  so 
arranged  them,  that  they  are  continually  rising,  and  a  dead  calm  very 
seldom  happens.  He  regulates  the  motion,  power,  and  duration  of 
the  winds,  and  prescribes  to  them  the  course  they  ought  to  take. 
Their  very  diversity  is  of  use ;  for  when  a  long  drought  has  made 
plants  and  animals  languish  and  droop,  a  wind  proceeds  from  the 
seacoast,  loaded  with  exhalations,  waters  the  meadows,  and  gives 
new  animation  to  nature.  When  this  object  is  accomplished,  a  dry 
wind  coming  from  the  east  restores  the  serenity  of  the  air,  and  brings 
back  fine  weather.  The  north  wind  brings  along  with  it  numerous 
frozen  particles,  and  purifies  the  autumnal  air  from  its  noxious  va- 
pours. Lastly,  to  the  sharp  north  wind  succeeds  the  south  wind,  and 
coming  from  the  southern  regions,  it  diffuses  a  grateful  warmth 
through  the  air.  Thus  these  continual  variations  of  the  winds  tend 
to  preserve  health  and  fertility  in  the  earth. 

Who  can  make  such  reflections  as  these,  and  not  adore  God,  in 
whose  hand  are  all  the  elements,  and  whose  word  either  bids  them 
rage  or  calms  their  strife  ?  At  his  command  the  storms  and  tempests 
roar,  and,  bursting  from  the  ocean's  depths,  rush  to  earth's  utmost 
boundary  ;  w^hen  again,  at  his  word,  all  is  still  and  hushed,  as  on  an 
autumnal  evening,  when  not  a  breeze  plays  on  the  surface  of  the  deep. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


417 


NOVEMBER  X. 

THE  CHASE. 

At  this  season  of  the  year  the  chase  forms  a  very  principal  amuse- 
ment with  a  certain  class  of  men,  and  there  is  much  reason  to  regret 
that  so  much  importance  is  attached  to  it ;  for  the  dominion  which 
man  has  over  animals,  and  the  pleasure  which  he  takes  in  subduing 
them,  is  too  frequently  mingled  with  cruelty.  It  is  true  that  some- 
times the  death  of  animals  is  necessary  to  enable  us  to  make  that  use 
of  them  for  which  they  are  designed,  or  when  their  too  great  increase 
might  render  them  troubleaome  or  hurtful  to  us ;  but  even  then  it  be- 
hooves us  to  render  their  death  as  mild  and  easy  as  possible  :  yet,  un- 
fortunately, this  is  very  little  regarded  by  the  generality  of  people ;  and 
men  in  this  respect  show  themselves  to  be  more  sanguinary  than  the 
most  ferocious  beasts.  How  revolting  from  every  feeling  of  humanity, 
and  the  dignity  of  rational  beings,  is  the  practice  of  hare  and  stag 
hunting  !  Can  that  be  called  an  innocent  pleasure,  or  a  manly  exer- 
cise, w^hich  instigates  us  to  pursue  with  implacable  fury  a  poor  de- 
fenceless animal,  which  flies  before  us  in  the  utmost  agonies  of  fear 
and  suspense,  till,  worn  out  with  fatigue,  it  falls  a  helpless  victim, 
whilst  its  groans  and  dying  convulsions  are  hailed  by  the  joyful  shouts 
of  the  huntsmen  1  And  is  there  a  human  breast  that  does  not  bleed  at 
such  a  picture,  or  in  human  shape  a  monster  who  can  behold  such  a 
sight  without  emotion  ]  To  purchase  pleasure  by  the  death  of  an  in- 
nocent, inoffensive  creature,  and  that  death  imbittered  by  the  most 
cruel  torments,  is  a  dear  sacrifice  of  our  feelings :  and  surely  that 
pleasure  which  familiarizes  us  with  scenes  of  cruelty  and  of  barbarity 
is  dangerous  and  destructive  of  virtue ;  for  it  is  impossible  for  the 
heart  of  that  man  to  be  good,  and  possessed  of  noble  and  generous 
feeling,  who  can  hear  with  satisfaction  the  expiring  groans  of  these 
animals  ;  and  it  is  equally  impossible  for  him  to  be  passionately  fond 
of  the  chase,  and  centre  in  it  a  great  share  of  his  happiness,  without 
gradually  becoming  indifferent  to  the  calls  of  humanity,  and  deaf  to 
the  voice  of  nature.  A  man  of  this  description  is  in  great  danger  of 
becoming  cruel  and  sanguinary ;  he  will  soon  only  derive  pleasure 
from  scenes  of  misery  and  destruction  ;  and  being  accustomed  not  to 
feel  for  the  sufferings  of  animals,  in  time  he  becomes  equally  regard- 
less of  his  fellow-creatures.  Hunting,  then,  will  be  considered  by 
men  of  morality  and  religion  as  an  occupation  irreconcilable  with  the 
great  duties  we  are  called  upon  to  fulfil ;  and  those  who  are  truly 
wise,  and  wisli  to  be  useful  members  of  society,  will  seek  more  pure 
and  innocent  pleasures,  and  such  certainly  may  be  found. 

We  possess  within  ourselves  the  most  abundant  sources  of  pleasure, 
a  mind  and  faculties,  the  cultivation  of  which  is  continually  produc- 
tive of  the  purest  and  most  unalloyed  delight ;  and  in  this  the  great 
science  of  the  Christian  and  of  the  philosopher  consists,  and  those 
who  pursue  it  v/ith  perseverance  acquire  the  art  of  being  happy  with- 


418 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


out  sacrificing  their  virtue,  or  destroying  their  feehngs  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, by  the  continued  improvement  of  their  mind,  and  suffering  re- 
hgiou  to  keep  pace  with  knowledge,  they  attain  that  happy  state 
which  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away.  To  diversify  their 
pleasures  they  have  only  to  walk  forth  into  the  garden  of  nature,  con- 
template the  grand  and  beautiful  objects  there  displayed,  or  mingling 
in  the  cheerful  society  of  men  like  themselves  in  the  search  of  truth, 
enjoy  that  delightful  converse  which  is  unknown  to  the  sensualist, 
the  ignorant,  or  the  vicious. 


NOVEMBER  XI. 

DREAMS. 

During  the  state  of  sleep  the  faculties  of  the  mind  are  not  entirely 
at  rest ;  the  imagination  is  often  active,  and  ideas  and  images  are 
present  before  us.  Such  is  the  case  in  dreams.  However,  the  soul 
seems  to  have  little  share  in  them,  except  so  far  as  relates  to  the 
memory.  If  we  reflect  upon  our  dreams,  and  examine  why  they  are 
so  unconnected  and  irregular,  why  the  events  represented  to  us  are 
improbable,  it  will  be  found  to  proceed  from  our  being  more  affected 
by  sensations  than  perceptions.  In  our  dreams  we  often  seem  to  be- 
hold persons  whom  we  have  never  seen  before,  or  who  are  long  since 
dead ;  we  see  them  as  if  alive,  and  associate  with  them  things  that 
actually  exist.  If  the  soul  acted  as  vigorously  in  dreams  as  when  we 
are  awake,  a  moment  would  suffice  to  collect  and  arrange  our  scat- 
tered and  confused  ideas  ;  but  its  attention  is  usually  confined  to  re- 
ceive and  follow  the  representations  which  are  presented  to  it ;  and 
though  objects  often  present  themselves  very  forcibly,  they  are  almost 
always  strangely  associated,  without  any  regular  connexion.  Sensa- 
tions succeed  each  other  without  the  soul  combining  or  arranging 
them.  We  have,  then,  only  sensations,  and  not  notions  ;  for  notions 
can  only  take  place  when  the  soul  compares  sensations,  and  operates 
upon  the  ideas  which  it  has  received  through  the  medium  of  the 
senses. 

It  is  singular  that  in  dreams  we  never  imagine  that  we  hear,  but 
only  that  we  see  ;  and  it  is  still  more  remarkable  that  the  images 
which  we  see  often  bear  a  most  exact  resemblance  to  their  originals. 
Beautiful  landscapes,  which  we  have  never  attentively  observed,  are 
presented  to  us  in  dreams,  more  exactly  delineated  than  if  drawn  by 
the  most  eminent  artists. 

As  to  the  accidental  causes  of  dreams,  by  which  former  sensations 
are  renewed  without  the  operation  of  any  present  and  real  impression, 
it  must  be  observed,  that  in  a  state  of  profound  sleep  we  never  dream; 
w^e  are  conscious  of  no  sensation,  and  our  organs  of  sense  are  not  acted 
upon  by  external  objects.  That  sense  which  first  yields  to  the  influ- 
ence of  sleep  is  also  the  first  that  awakes,  being  the  most  lively  and 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


419 


active,  and  more  easily  excited  tlian  tiie  external  senses.  When 
sleep  is  more  imperfect,  and  less  sound,  dreams  generally  occur :  for- 
mer sensations  are  renewed ;  the  internal  sense,  which,  by  the  inac- 
tivity of  the  external  senses  cannot  employ  itself  upon  present  im- 
pressions, exercises  itself  on  preceding  sensations,  and  of  these  gene- 
rally prefers  such  as  have  most  forcibly  affected  it ;  hence  it  is,  that 
dreams  are  either  very  frightful  or  extremely  agreeable. 

Another  circumstance  in  dreams  worthy  of  attention  is,  that  tliey 
are  often  characteristic  of  the  nature  of  the  individual.  From  the 
phantoms  which  haunt  his  imagination  during  the  night,  we  may 
form  some  conclusion  whether  he  is  virtuous  or  vicious.  A  cruel- 
minded  man  continues  to  be  so  even  in  sleep ;  while  the  man  of  be- 
nevolence preserves  in  his  dreams  the  same  mild  feature  of  cliaracter. 
It  is,  nevertheless,  true,  that  an  impure  and  vicious  dream  may  be 
occasioned  by  the  state  of  the  body,  or  by  external  and  adventitious 
circumstances.  But  our  conduct,  when  first  awake,  will  show 
whether  or  not  such  dreams  ought  to  be  imputed  to  us :  we  have 
only  to  observe  what  opinion  we  form  of  them  at  the  time.  The 
good  man  is  not  indifferent  with  respect  to  his  dreams;  and  if,  during 
his  sleep,  his  mind  has  wandered  from  what  is  strictly  just  and  virtu- 
ous, he  is  afflicted  by  it  when  he  awakes.  It  generally  happens,  that 
the  mind  that  reposes  with  a  conviction  of  the  favour  of  God,  has, 
during  a  state  of  dreaming,  ideas  and  representations  of  heavenly 
things.  A  good  conscience  often  consoles  a  righteous  man  in  his 
sleep,  with  the  impression  of  his  merits  being  rewarded  by  divine 
favour  and  approbation. 

Sleep,  however,  is  not  the  only  time  when  wild  and  unconnected 
objects  produce  a  confusion  of  ideas.  How  many  people  dream  while 
awake  !  Some,  from  high  opinions  of  their  own  importance  and  dig- 
nity, because  the  favour  of  a  prince,  or  wealth,  has  raised  them  to  some 
degree  of  rank.  Others  place  their  happiness  upon  empty  fame,  and 
feed  their  imaginations  with  the  vain  hope  of  immortal  honour.  Such 
beings  as  these,  in  the  delirium  of  their  passions,  and  in  the  intoxica- 
tion of  their  self-love,  may  fancy  that  they  are  happy,  and  endeavour 
to  make  others  believe  it ;  but  all  such  frivolous  and  deceitful  felicity 
vanishes  as  a  morning  dream.  They  have  been  well  described  by  an 
eminent  prophet,  when  he  said,  *They  resemble  an  hungry  man 
who  dreameth  that  he  eats  ;  but  he  awaketh,  and  his  soul  is  empty : 
or  as  when  a  thirsty  man  dreameth,  and,  behold,  he  drinketli ;  but  he 
awaketh,  and,  behold,  he  is  faint,  and  his  soul  hath  appetite.' 

Let  us,  then,  never  seek  our  happiness  in  vain  phantoms,  and  delu- 
sive dreams;  but  henceforth  aspire  to  obtain,  through  divine  assistance, 
that  wisdom  which  perisheth  not,  and  that  glory  wiiose  radiance 
endureth  for  ever,  and  which,  when  in  the  last  awful  moments  of  our 
existence  we  take  a  retrospect  of  our  past  life,  will  not  add  the  sting 
of  remorse  to  the  painful  separation  of  the  soul  from  the  body,  nor 
cause  the  tears  of  hopeless  repentance  to  increase  the  wo  of  our 
afflicted  friends. 


420 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


NOVEMBER  XII. 

EVERY  THING  IN  THE  UNIVERSE  IS  CONNECTED  TOGETHER,  AND  CON- 
CURS TO  THE  PRESERVATION  AND  PERFECTION  OF  THE  W^HOLE. 

Every  thing-  which  the  beneficent  Creator  has  produced  upon  the 
earth  is  admirably  connected  together,  and  contributes  to  the  mutual 
preservation  of  the  whole.  The  earth  itself,  the  rocks,  the  minerals, 
and  the  fossils,  all  owe  to  the  elements  their  origin  and  support.  The 
trees,  plants,  herbs,  mosses,  and  all  kinds  of  vegetables,  derive  their 
subsistence  from  the  earth ;  Avhile  animals,  in  their  turn,  live  upon 
the  vegetable  kingdom.  All  these  afterward  return  to  their  first 
principles.  The  earth  supplies  the  plant  with  its  nutriment,  the  plant 
the  insect,  the  insect  the  bird,  the  bird  the  wild  beasts ;  and  in  their 
turn  the  wild  beasts  become  food  for  the  vulture,  the  vulture  to  the 
insect,  the  insect  nourishes  the  plant,  and  the  plant  the  earth.  Man 
himself,  who  converts  all  these  beings  to  his  own  use,  often  in  turn 
becomes  their  prey.  Such  is  the  circle  in  which  every  created  thing 
revolves. 

Thus  all  creatures  have  been  created  for  each  other,  and  no  one 
solely  for  itself.  The  tiger,  the  lynx,  the  bear,  the  ermine,  the  fox, 
and  various  other  animals,  yield  us  furs  for  our  covering.  The  hounds 
pursue  the  fleet  hare,  and  hunt  down  the  stag  in  the  forests  to  supply 
our  tables  ;  while  the  portion  they  themselves  receive  of  the  prey  is 
very  small.  The  ferrets  drive  the  rabbits  from  their  deepest  recesses 
into  our  hands.  The  horse,  the  elephant,  and  the  camel,  are  trained 
to  carry  loads,  and  the  ox  to  yoke  to  the  plough.  The  cow  gives  us 
her  milk,  the  sheep  her  wool ;  the  reindeer  draws  the  sledge  with 
velocity  over  the  snow  and  ice  :  the  swine,  the  hedgehog,  and  the 
mole,  burrow  in  the  earth,  and  turn  it  up,  that  the  seeds  of  plants 
may  be  more  easily  propagated.  The  hawk  is  subservient  to  the 
pleasures  of  the  chase,  and  the  hen  gives  us  eggs.  The  cock's  shrill 
cries  awaken  us  in  the  morning,  and  the  carols  of  the  lark  delight  us 
in  the  day.  The  morning  and  evening  are  hailed  by  the  melody  of 
the  blackbird,  and  the  night  is  sacred  to  the  varied  notes  of  the 
nightingale. 

The  brilliant  plumage  of  the  peacock  delights  the  lovei-s  of  gayety. 
Fish  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean  swarm  upon  our  coasts,  and  enter 
our  rivers  in  shoals,  and  supply  an  abundance  of  nourishment  to  men, 
birds,  and  beasts.  The  silkworm  spins,  that  we  may  be  clothed  with 
its  precious  web  ;  and  the  bees  for  our  use  collect  their  sweets  from 
every  flower  that  scents  the  air.  The  sea  casts  upon  our  coasts  mul- 
titudes of  crabs,  oysters,  and  various  kinds  of  shellfish,  for  the  use 
of  men  and  animals.  The  lanternbearer,  or  great  fly  of  Surinam, 
shines  during  the  night,  and  gives  light  to  the  inhabitants  of  that 
country. 

If  we  also  examine  the  different  occupations  and  laboms  of  men, 
we  shall  find  that  thev  equally  tend  to  the  same  end  which  nature 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


.  has  proposed.  The  mariner  tempts  the  clangers  of  the  sea,  and  braves 
the  storm,  to  bring  to  his  comitry  merchandise  which  does  not  belong" 
to  him.  The  soldier  sheds  his  blood  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and 
to  preserve  the  well-being  of  his  fellow-citizens.  The  lawyer  is  occu- 
pied in  the  affairs  of  others  ;  and  sovereigns  and  magistrates,  who  sit 
at  the  helm  of  government,  devote  their  time  and  their  faculties  in 
steering  it  for  the  good  of  the  commonwealth.  Parents  amass  trea- 
sures for  their  children.  The  husbandman  sows  and  reaps  seed,  a  very 
small  part  of  which  falls  to  his  lot  to  consume.  Thus  we  do  not  live 
for  ourselves  alone  ;  and  the  wise  Author  of  Nature  has  so  ordered  in 
his  infinite  mercy,  that  all  beings  shall  be  useful  to  one  another. 

From  this  let  us  learn  what  are  our  moral  duties.  He  who  has 
power  should  succour  the  feeble.  The  man  of  learning  should  help 
with  his  advice  those  who  are  deficient,  and  impart  of  his  wisdom  to 
the  ignorant.  In  fine,  we  should  love  our  neighbour  as  ourselves  ; 
and  by  so  doing  we  should  the  most  effectually  fulfil  the  designs  of 
our  Creator.  The  reciprocal  duties  which  men  owe  to  one  another 
have  induced  them  to  form  societies  ;  for  that  which  individual  power 
could  not  effect  is  readily  accomplished  by  united  energy.  No  person 
could  erect  a  stately  edifice,  or  construct  a  palace,  if  he  was  obliged 
by  himself  to  lay  the  foundation,  dig  the  cellars,  mould  the  clay,  and 
bake  the  bricks,  raise  the  walls,  cover  in  the  roof,  make  the  windows, 
decorate  the  apartments,  &c.  But  all  this  is  easily  performed  when 
several  artificers  unite  and  mutually  assist  each  other.  Such  is  the 
constant  law  of  nature,  that  in  all  the  arts  and  sciences  nothing  beau- 
tiful or  excellent  can  be  effected  without  the  concurrence  of  several 
persons.  How  many  thousands  of  men  are  requisite  to  make  a  mo- 
narch powerful,  and  a  nation  renowned  and  prosperous! 

In  all  this  we  have  abundant  cause  to  acknowledge  the  wisdom  of 
our  Creator,  who,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  and  particu- 
larly man,  might  be  happy,  has  established  such  relations  and  con- 
nexions among  all  beings,  that  one  cannot  subsist  without  the  others. 
Experience  daily  teaches  us  that  God  has  ever  in  view  the  welfare  of 
his  creatures  ;  for  this  purpose  the  whole  world  was  planned,  and  so 
arranged,  that  all  its  parts  concur  to  promote  the  general  happiness 
of  mankind.  Even  those  things  which  we  consider  as  the  least  im- 
portant, and  to  which  we  scarcely  condescend  to  turn  our  attention, 
contribute  to  our  felicity.  The  very  insects  which  appear  so  despi- 
cable and  insignificant,  are  highly  useful  to  us.  Thousands  of  hands 
are  daily  employed  in  satisfying  our  wants,  and  thousands  of  animals 
perish  to  support  our  hves.  And  in  how  many  other  ways,  of  which 
we  are  ignorant,  is  not  nature  active  in  our  favour  ! 

Merciful  and  indulgent  Father  !  teach  us  how  to  appreciate  thy 
goodness,  and  estimate  our  felicity ;  cause  to  arise  in  our  hearts  the 
desire  of  doing  in  future  all  that  our  limited  faculties  and  strength 
will  admit  of,  to  promote  the  cause  of  righteousness  among  men,  and 
to  imitate  thy  goodness  to  us  by  assisting,  according  to  our  several 
abilities,  those  who  are  in  need. 

36 


422 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


NOVEMBER  XIII. 

COMMON  SALT. 

Salt  forms  the  seasoning  which  is  most  extensively  used,  being 
common  to  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  king-  and  the  beggar.  Its 
savour  is  so  grateful,  and  it  possesseth  such  excellent  properties  for 
digestion,  that  we  may  regard  it  as  one  of  the  most  precious  gifts 
which  nature  has  bestowed  upon  man.  We  procure  it  in  different 
ways.  The  inhabitants  of  the  coasts  obtain  it  from  the  sea.  They 
dig  pits  on  the  shore,  which  they  call  salt-pits,  and  plaster  them  with 
clay :  at  a  full  tide  the  sea  flows  into  them  ;  and  the  water  which  it 
leaves  soon  evaporates  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  there  remains  at 
the  bottom  of  the  pits  abundance  of  salt.  In  other  places  nature  fur- 
nishes salt  springs,  fountains  and  lakes  ;  and  to  obtain  salt  from  these 
the  water  is  evaporated  in  large  caldrons.  In  some  places,  again,  salt 
is  found  in  solid  masses  in  the  mountains  ;  the  most  celebrated  mines 
are  those  of  Catalonia  and  Poland.  All  these  diflferent  kinds  of  salt 
are  alike  in  their  chief  properties.  Experience  teaches  us  that  a  cer- 
tain proportion  of  salt  dissolved  in  the  stomach  has  a  digestive  power, 
and  prevents  the  putrefaction  and  too  great  fermentation  of  the  ali- 
mentary matter.  Hence  it  is  used  internally  to  assist  and  retsore 
digestion  ;  to  remedy  crudities  in  the  stomach  ;  to  excite  the  appetite  ; 
and  to  stinmlate  the  stomach,  whose  nerves  it  gently  irritates,  and 
favours  all  its  operations.  Common  salt,  then,  may  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  digestives  in  nature  ;  other  salts  act  too  powerfully, 
and  are  too  disagreeable  to  the  palate  to  be  mixed  with  our  food. 

Salt  is  therefore  a  particular  blessing,  though  perhaps  it  is  less 
esteemed  because  of  its  universality.  But  were  we  in  the  practice  of 
paying  more  attention  to  the  blessings  which  w^e  daily  receive  from 
God,  we  should  have  infinitely  more  cause  to  acknowledge  and  admire 
his  goodness.  Salt,  besides  the  uses  which  we  have  enumerated,  is 
interesting  to  the  observer  of  nature,  from  its  external  appearance ; 
the  least  particles  of  it  seeming  as  if  they  were  cut  into  eight  angles, 
and  six  sides,  like  a  die ;  hence  such  masses  are  of  a  cubical  form. 
And  here  again  we  have  an  evidence  of  a  Supreme  Being,  who  has 
given  to  the  salt  an  invariable  form,  and  has  shaped  the  different 
masses  in  the  same  model  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation  ;  there- 
by proving  that  its  origin  is  not  owing  to  chance,  or  fortuitous  circum- 
stances, but  to  the  will  of  an  intelligent  Being.  And  this  thought  is 
too  important,  and  too  essential  to  our  present  and  eternal  peace,  to  be 
disregarded,  or  not  to  be  impressed  upon  our  minds  so  deeply  as  never 
to  be  effaced. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


423 


NOVEMBER  XIV. 

ORIGIN  OF  FOUNTAINS. 

Ail  great  rivers  are  formed  by  the  streams  of  smaller  ones  miiting-, 
and  these  take  their  rise  from  brooks  which  fall  into  them  ;  and  the 
brooks  derive  their  origin  from  springs  and  fountains.  Of  this  there 
can  be  no  doubt;  but  whence  do  springs  proceed?  Since "Avater,  by 
its  gravity,  as  well  as  fluidity,  always  occupies  the  lowest  parts  of  the 
earth's  surface,  whence  can  the  water  come  which  flows  so  constantly 
from  the  most  elevated  regions  1 

It  is  ascertained,  in  the  first  place,  that  rain,  snow,  and  generally 
all  the  exhalations  which  fall  from  the  air,  supply  a  great  portion 
of  the  water  that  flows  from  springs.  Hence  it  is  that  fountains  and 
rivers  are  so  rare  in  Arabia  Deserta,  and  in  certain  parts  of  Africa, 
where  it  never  rains.  The  waters,  then,  insinuate  themselves  into 
the  earth,  where  they  penetrate  till  they  are  obstructed  by  beds  of 
clay,  through  which  they  cannot  pass ;  and  thus  accumulating,  form 
fountains  :  or  they  collect  in  cavities,  which  afterward  overflow  ;  or 
the  waters  gradually  rill  through  innumerable  crevices,  to  the  lowest 
places  to  which  they  can  descend.  Thus  the  water  is  continually 
flowing,  and  forms  subterranean  currents,  which,  uniting  with  more 
of  the  same  description,  make  what  is  called  a  vein  of  water. 

It  is,  however,  very  probable,  that  in  some  countries  fountains  do 
not  owe  their  origin  solely  to  the  waters  which  descend  from  the 
atmosphere  ;  for  considerable  springs  and  lakes  are  sometimes  found 
on  high  mountains,  which  would  seem  not  to  be  altogether  produced 
by  either  rain  or  snow.  There  are  many  springs  that  in  all  seasons 
yield  the  same  quantity  of  water,  and  even  sometimes  supply  more 
during  a  time  of  great  heat  and  long-continued  drought  than  in  moist 
and  rainy  weather.  There  must,  then,  be  some  other  cause  contribut- 
ing to  the  formation  and  continuance  of  fountains. 

Many  springs  are  formed  by  vapours,  which,  being  suspended  in 
the  atmosphere,  are  driven  by  currents  of  air  towards  mountains  and 
elevated  places,  or  by  the  power  of  attraction  are  drawn  towards  these 
great  masses.  The  atmosphere  is  more  or  less  loaded  with  aqueous 
exhalations,  which  being  driven  and  pressed  against  hard  and  cold 
rocks,  are  condensed  in  drops,  and  thus  increase  the  springs.  We 
must,  however,  admit  that  all  springs  cannot  derive  their  sources 
from  this  cause  ;  for  if  this  was  the  case,  would  not  the  Rhine,  the 
Danube,  and  other  rivers,  which  flow  from  high  mountains,  be  dried 
up  in  winter,  when  these  enormous  masses  are  covered  with  ice  and 
snow?  Caverns  which  communicate  with  the  sea,  or  with  lakes, 
must  contribute  to  the  origin  of  fountains.  The  water  of  the  sea 
having  passed  into  these  great  cavities  by  subterranean  canals,  rises  in 
vapours  through  a  number  of  crevices,  and  forms  drops,  which,  fall- 
ing by  their  own  gravity,  sometimes  take  a  contrary  direction,  because 
water  cannot  always  make  its  way  where  vapours  penetrate.  Lastly, 


424 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


it  is  possible  that  the  sea-water,  particularly  in  countries  bordering 
upon  the  ocean,  may  filter  through  the  earth,  and  produce  springs; 
and  such  springs  have  generally  a  taste  resembling  that  of  the  waters 
whence  they  originate.  But  the  springs  which  are  met  with  near 
the  summits  of  high  mountains  cannot  proceed  from  such  a  cause, 
for  the  sea-water  cannot  ascend  so  high. 

All  the  causes  we  have  now  enumerated  contribute  more  or  less  to 
the  origin  of  fountains ;  and  perhaps  there  are  still  other  causes  ope- 
rating, of  which  we  are  ignorant.  Nature  is  always  simple  in  her 
operations ;  but  this  simplicity  does  not  consist  so  much  in  employing 
only  one  cause  to  produce  each  effect,  as  in  employing  in  every  case 
the  fewest  possible  causes  ;  by  which  the  presence  of  auxiliary  causes 
concurring  to  produce  the  proposed  effect  of  natur&is  not  prevented. 

Be  this,  however,  as  it  may,  and  though  the  origin  of  fountains 
were  more  doubtful  and  obscure  than  it  really  is,  we  n}ust  look  up  to 
God  as  the  creator  and  preserver  of  these  salutary  springs.  'He  speaks, 
and  the  fountains  play  from  the  bosom  of  the  hills.  The  springs  be- 
come rivulets,  and  these  swell  into  noble  rivers,  which  carry  fertility 
and  abundance  through  a  country.  The  inhabitants  of  the  meadows 
allay  their  thirst  in  the  pure  streams,  and  seek  repose  in  the  shady 
groves  through  which  they  gently  How.'  God  causes  the  beneficent 
fountains  to  spring  from  the  high  places  of  the  earth  :  sometimes  they 
wind  among  the  mountains,  till  their  meanders  are  lost  amid  the 
distant  plains ;  or  they  precipitate  themselves  in  cataracts,  and 
increase  by  the  union  of  different  streams.  Thus  God  preserves  in  the 
kingdom  of  nature  that  continual  circulation  which  contributes  to  the 
fertility  of  the  earth,  the  salubrity  of  our  dwellings,  and  the  evacua- 
tion of  water,  where  too  great  abundance  would  be  prejudicial  to  us. 


NOVEMBER  XV. 

HAIR  OF  THE  HEAD. 

If  we  examine  the  curious  structure  and  various  uses  of  the  hair 
which  covers  and  adorns  our  heads,  we  shall  find  it  well  worthy  of 
our  attention,  and  discover  in  it  evident  proofs  of  the  wisdom  and 
power  of  God. 

Each  hair  appears  to  the  naked  eye  an  oblong  slender  filament, 
with  a  bulb  at  the  extremity  thicker  and  more  transparent  than  the 
rest  of  the  hair.  The  filament  forms  the  body  of  the  hair,  and  the 
bulb  the  root.  The  large  hairs  have  their  roots,  and  even  part  of  the 
filament,  enclosed  in  a  small  membranous  vessel  or  capsule.  Tlie 
size  of  this  sheath  is  proportionate  to  the  size  of  the  root,  being  always 
rather  larger,  that  the  root  may  not  be  too  much  confined,  and  that 
some  space  may  remain  between  it  and  the  capsule.  The  root  or  bulb 
has  two  parts;  the  one  external,  the  other  internal.  The  external  is 
a  pellicle  composed  of  small  laminae  ;  the  internal  is  a  glutinous  fluid, 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


425 


in  which  some  fibres  are  united  ;  it  is  the  marrow  of  the  root.  From 
the  external  part  of  the  bulb  proceed  five,  and  sometimes,  though 
rarely,  six  small  white  threads,  very  delicate  and  transparent,  and 
often  twice  as  long  as  the  root.  Besides  these  threads,  small  knots 
are  seen  rising  in  different  places ;  they  are  viscous  and  easily  dis- 
solved by  heat.  From  the  interior  part  of  the  bulb  proceeds  the  body 
of  the  hair,  composed  of  three  parts  ;  the  external  sheath,  the  interior 
tubes,  and  the  Jii arrow. 

When  the  hair  has  arrived  at  the  pore  of  the  skin  through  which  it 
is  to  pass,  it  is  strongly  enveloped  by  the  pelhcle  of  the  root,  which 
forms  here  a  very  small  tube.  The  hair  then  pushes  the  cuticle  before 
it,  and  makes  of  it  an  external  sheath,  which  defends  it  at  the  time 
when  it  is  still  very  soft.  The  rest  of  the  covering  of  the  hair  is  a 
peculiar  substance,  and  particularly  transparent  at  the  point.  In  a 
young  hair  this  sheath  is  very  soft ;  but  in  time  becomes  so  hard  and 
elastic,  that  it  springs  back  w^ith  some  noise  when  it  is  cut.  It  pre- 
serves the  hair  a  long  time.  Immediately  beneath  the  sheath  are 
several  small  fibres  which  extend  themselves  along  the  hair  from  the 
root  to  the  extremity.  These  are  united  among  themselves,  and  with 
the  sheath,  which  is  common  to  them,  by  several  elastic  threads  ;  and 
these  bundles  of  fibres  form  together  a  tube  filled  with  two  substances, 
the  one  fluid,  the  other  solid  ;  and  these  constitute  the  marrow  of  the 
hair. 

An  attentive  observer  of  the  works  of  God  must  acknowledge,  that 
his  wisdom  is  displayed  in  the  structure  of  a  hair,  as  well  as  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  human  body.  Thus,  from  the  crown  of  the  head 
to  the  sole  of  the  foot,  there  is  nothing  in  man  that  does  not  denote 
the  perfection  of  his  Creator.  Even  those  parts  which  appear  the 
least  considerable,  those  which  might  be  the  easiest  dispensed  with, 
become  important,  if  we  consider  them  in  their  relation  with  the  other 
members  of  the  body,  or  if  we  examine  their  wonderful  structure  and 
destination.  This  particularly  is  the  case  with  the  hair.  Yet  there 
are  many  people  who  do  not  think  it  is  worthy  of  their  attention,  and 
who  do  not  imagine  that  any  traces  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of 
God  can  be  discovered  in  its  formation.  But,  independent  of  the  ge- 
neral principle,  that  there  is  no  part  of  our  body  which  is  not  useful, 
or  without  design,  it  is  very  easy  to  assure  ourselves  of  the  wise  ends 
for  which  hair  has  been  given  to  us.  In  the  first  place,  it  contributes 
very  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  countenance  ;  and  perhaps  this  is  its 
least  use.  It  preserves  the  head  from  the  effects  of  cold  and  wet,  and 
promotes  an  insensible  evacuation  of  superfluous  humours  from  the 
body.  Besides  these,  it  may  be  useful  in  many  other  ways ;  and 
though  we  may  not  be  acquainted  with  them  all,  we  know  enough  to 
find  great  cause  to  admire  and  adore  the  wisdom,  power,  and  good- 
ness of  our  heavenly  Creator  in  this  as  well  as  every  other  part  of  our 
structure. 


36* 


3D 


426 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


NOVEMBER  XVI. 

SYSTEM  OF  THE  WORLD. 

From  the  consideration  of  the  earth,  which  hitherto  has  principally 
occupied  our  attention,  let  us  elevate  our  thoughts  to  those  innume- 
rable worlds,  compared  with  which  this  globe,  which  we  and  so  many 
creatures  inhabit,  is  but  a  point  and  a  speck  in  the  vast  system  of  the 
universe.    Let  us  examine,  meditate,  and  adore. 

In  a  preceding  reflection  we  described  the  solar  system,  the  revolu- 
tion of  the  earth,  and  the  course  of  the  planets.  To  meditate  upon 
the  heavenly  bodies,  investigate  their  motion,  order,  and  arrangement ; 
to  observe  their  magnificence,  number,  harmony,  and  beauty,  fills  the 
mind  with  the  most  sublime  ideas  of  the  Creator.  V^e  feel  our  own 
littleness,  and  bow,  with  awful  reverence  and  devout  humiliation,  be- 
fore that  ineffable  Being,  whose  throne  is  the  starry  heavens,  and 
who,  though  surrounded  by  myriads  of  angels  and  cherubims,  deigns, 
through  the  glory  of  numerous  suns,  to  look  down  with  compassion 
upon  the  sufferings  of  human  nature,  and  cheer  the  heart  of  man  with 
divine  consolation.  Glory  be  to  God  the  Father,  and  the  Son,  for 
ever  and  ever  !* 


NOVEMBER  XVII.  " 

LOBSTERS. 

Lobsters  would  be  very  deserving  of  our  attention,  even  if  they 
were  of  no  use  to  us  as  an  article  of  food.  The  females  of  these 
crustaceous  animals,  a  little  before  this  period  of  the  year,  undergo  a 
great  change.  They  cast  off  their  old  coverings,  and  acquire  new 
ones  :  in  thus  changing  their  covering,  they  at  the  same  time  increase 
m  size ;  and  this  manner  of  growing  is  peculiar  to  all  crustaceous 
animals,  which  augment  in  bulk  every  time  they  throw  off  their  old 
shells  ;  and  the  operation  is  very  painful.  At  the  time  of  their  change, 
their  stomach  also  is  renewed  ;  for  both  it  and  the  intestines  are  then 
detached  from  the  body :  they  gradually  dissipate,  and  it  would  ap- 
pear that  the  animal,  during  that  change,  fed  upon  the  parts  which 
before  were  subservient  to  digestion.  The  small  white  and  round 
stones,  which  are  improperly  called  crab's  eyes,  begin  to  form  when 
the  stomach  is  destroyed,  and  are  afterward  enveloped  in  the  new  one, 
where  they  continually  diminish  in  size,  till  at  lenth  they  entirely 
disappear.    There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  animal  makes  use  of 

♦  The  translator  has  ventured  to  differ  from  the  original  very  materially  in  the  above 
reflection,  which  too  nearly  resembles  oue  already  written  to  be  repeated,  and  must  have 
escaped  the  author's  attention. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


427 


them  as  a. remedy  against  (he  diseases  of  its  stomach,  or  that  perhaps 
they  are  the  receptacle  which  suppUcs  the  matter  wliich  they  use  to 
repair  the  loss  of  their  shells.  • 

Except  at  the  time  when  they  cast  their  shells,  these  animals  keep 
at  the  bottom  of  the  water,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  shore.  In 
winter  they  prefer  the  bottom  of  deep  water,  but  in  summer  approach 
nearer  the  shore,  if  the  want  of  food  does  not  oblige  them  to  plunge 
deeper  in  the  sea.  To  enable  them  more  easily  to  seize  their  prey, 
nature  has  given  them  several  arms  and  legs.  Some  of  their  claws 
at  times  are  as  large  as  the  head  and  trunk  taken  together.  They 
also  possess  the  singular  property  of  reproducing  their  claws  and 
horns,  when  they  have  been  broken  ;  they  can  even  get  rid  of  them 
when  they  are  troublesome.  They  can  perform  this  operation  in  any 
posture  ;  but  it  is  more  easily  effected  when  they  lie  on  their  backs, 
and  the  shell  is  broken,  and  the  flesh  bruised  with  strong  pincers  at 
the  third  or  fourth  joint  of  the  claw.  Immediately  after  the  wound, 
the  animal  bleeds ;  the  pain  causes  a  general  shaking  of  the  limb, 
and  soon  afterwards  the  wounded  part  detaches  itself  suddenly  from 
the  body.  When  the  claw  has  been  broken,  a  gelatinous  substance 
oozes  out,  and  stanches  the  blood ;  and  if  this  was  taken  away,  the 
animal  would  bleed  to  death.  This  gelatinous  matter  envelopes  the 
rudiments  of  the  new  limb,  which  at  first  appears  only  like  an  ex- 
crescence, or  small  cone  ;  and  gradually  becoming  longer,  takes  the 
form  of  a  limb,  thus  replacing  the  old  one. 

The  manner  in  which  these  animals  are  propagated  is  very  singu- 
lar. The  male  carries  the  prolific  matter  in  a  very  long  thread.  What 
chiefly  distinguishes  it  is  a  double  hook  under  the  tail,  which  is  not 
observable  in  the  female.  These  animals  are  impregnated  about 
autumn  ;  and  if  at  that  time  a  female  lobster  is  opened,  the  evidences 
of  impregnation  are  perceived  by  the  presence  of  several  red  clots. 
These  gradually  disappear  ;  and  under  the  tail,  where  the  female  has 
several  little  fibres,  small  round  eggs  are  seen,  resembling  hemp-seed. 
The  first  eggs  are  visible  in  December,  and  soon  amount  to  more  tha«n 
a  hundred.  As  the  warmth  of  the  air  increases,  they  grow  larger, 
and  before  midsummer  small  live  lobsters  are  found  among  the  eggs, 
of  the  size  of  an  ant,  and  which  remaining  attached  to  the  fibres, 
under  the  mother's  tail,  are  fostered  there  till  all  the  eggs  are  hatched. 
They  then  detach  themselves  from  these  fibres,  and  clinging  to  those 
of  the  roots  of  trees  and  herbs,  which  grow  in  the  water  near  the 
shore,  they  there  remain  enveloped,  till  they  are  suflficiently  large  and 
strong  to  abandon  themselves  to  the  waves. 

The  lobster  may  justly  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary creatures  that  exists  on  the  earth.  An  animal,  whose  skin  is  a 
stone,  which  it  casts  off  every  year,  and  receives  a  new  covering  ;  an 
animal,  whose  flesh  is  in  its  tail  and  feet,  and  its  hair  within  its  breast ; 
whose  stomach  is  in  its  head,  and  is  yearly  renewed,  whilst  the  first 
function  of  the  new  stomach  is  to  digest  the  old  one  ;  an  animal  that 
carries  its  eggs  in  the  interior  of  the  body  while  they  are  unimpreg- 
nated,  but  when  that  operation  has  taken  place  carries  them  exter- 


428 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


nally  under  its  tail ;  an  animal  with  two  stones  in  its  stomach, 
which  are  there  engendered,  and  receive  their  growth,  and  upon 
which  it  feeds  till  they  are  consumed  ;  an  animal  which  of  itself  can 
get  rid  of  its  limbs  when  they  are  inconvenient,  and  which  replaces 
them  with  others,  and  whose  eyes  are  placed  on  long  moveable  horns ; 
must  ever  be  regarded  as  a  most  singular  creature,  furnishing  us  with 
new  motives  of  admiring  and  adoring  the  wisdom  and  power  of  the 
Almighty  Creator. 


NOVEMBER  XVIII. 

ADVANTAGEOUS  SITUATION  OF  ALL  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  HUMAN  BODY. 

If  we  attentively  examine  the  different  parts  which  compose  the 
human  body,  we  shall  find  that  they  are  situated  in  the  most  conve- 
nient manner  for  their  different  uses.  It  belonged  to  the  Creator  to 
arrange  them  as  seemed  best  to  him,  and  his  wisdom  has  assigned  to 
every  member  that  place  which  is  most  proper  for  it ;  and  in  forming 
our  bodies,  he  has  not  only  provided  for  their  necessities  and  conveni- 
ences, but  he  has  also  paid  attention  to  their  beauty  and  ornament. 

With  regard  to  our  wants,  it  is  manifest  that  all  the  parts  of  the 
body  are  situated  in  the  most  convenient  manner.  Our  body  was  to 
be  a  machine,  capable  of  moving  of  itself,  by  the  power  given  to  it, 
without  the  necessity  of  receiving  an  inapulse  from  an  external  force. 
It  was  requisite  that  our  limbs  should  execute  with  promptitude  and 
celerity  the  volitions  of  our  soul.  All  the  bones  are  united  to  each 
other  ;  and  that  we  may  easily  use  our  limbs,  extend  or  shorten  the 
arm,  lower  or  raise  ourselves  at  pleasure,  the  bones  are  divided  into 
several  articulations,  and  each  one  is  terminated  by  a  round  head, 
which  is  received  into  a  cavity  formed  for  it  in  another  bone,  and  it 
moves  in  this  without  any  inconvenience,  because  it  is  covered  with 
a  smooth  and  polished  cartilage,  and  moistened  by  an  oily  fluid, 
which  thus  prevents  the  cartilage's  suffering  from  friction.  It  is  very 
remarkable  that  these  bones  are  yet  so  firmly  fixed  in  their  sockets, 
that  they  do  not  slip,  and  move  from  each  other,  though  the  feet  have 
to  support  such  a  heavy  burden,  and  the  hands  are  sometimes  obliged 
to  bear  very  heavy  weights. 

God  has  also  provided  for  our  convenience  in  the  arrangement  and 
disposition  of  the  different  parts  of  our  body.  The  determinations 
and  desires  of  the  soul  may  be  executed  by  the  different  organs  of  the 
body  without  trouble  or  impediment.  By  means  of  the  senses  the 
mind  is  readily  informed  of  all  that  can  interest  it,  and  the  different 
members  of  the  body  obey  its  orders.  The  eye,  which  watches  over 
the  whole  body,  occupies  the  most  elevated  place  ;  it  turns  with  faci- 
lity in  all  directions,  and  can  observe  all  that  passes.  The  ears  are 
also  placed  in  a  conspicuous  situation,  on  each  side  of  the  head,  and 
they  are  open  day  and  night  to  communicate  to  the  soul  every  im- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


429 


pression  of  the  mind.  As  the  ahments  ha.ve  to  pass  into  tlie  mouth 
before  they  arrive  in  the  stomach,  the  organ  of  smell  is  placed  imme- 
diately above,  to  preserve  us  from  eating  anything  noxious  or  preju- 
dicial. As  to  the  sense  of  touch,  it  has  not  its  immediate  seat  in 
any  one  particular  place,  but  is  distributed  to  every  part  of  the  body, 
that  we  may  be  sensible  of  pleasure  and  of  pain,  of  those  things  that 
are  injurious,  and  of  those  that  are  salutary.  The  arms,  which  are 
the  ministers  that  the  soul  employs  to  execute  most  of  its  desires,  are 
situated  near  the  breast,  where  the  body  has  the  greatest  power,  and 
without  being  too  far  distant  from  the  inferior  parts,  they  are  placed 
in  that  manner  which  is  most  convenient  for  all  kinds  of  exercise 
and  labour,  and  for  the  defence  of  the  head  and  other  members. 

Lastly,  the  Creator,  in  forming  our  body,  has  also  condescended  to 
attend  to  its  beauty  ;  which  he  has  made  to  consist  in  the  harmony 
and  exact  proportion  of  the  members,  and  in  the  agreeable  blending 
of  colours,  with  a  fine  and  delicate  skin.  Thus  we  see  that  the  parts 
of  the  body  which  are  double,  äs  the  eyes,  the  ears,  the  arms,  the 
legs,  are  placed  on  each  side  of  the  body  at  an  equal  height,  answer- 
ing to  right  and  left ;  while  those  that  are  single,  as  the  forehead,  the 
nose,  the  mouth,  and  the  chin,  are  situated  in  the  middle.  This  pro- 
portion obtains  in  the  small  as  well  as  in  the  great.  The  length  of 
the  sole  of  the  foot  makes  the  sixth  part  of  the  height  of  the  whole 
body,  as  that  of  the  face  is  the  tenth  part.  In  infants,  the  head  is 
greater  in  proportion  to  the  rest  of  the  body  ;  the  reason  of  which  is, 
that  the  head  being  the  principal  part  of  the  body,  and  the  seat  of 
the  senses,  it  ought  sooner  to  arrive  at  perfection  ;  and  the  more  so, 
as  being  chiefly  composed  of  bones,  it  cannot  extend  like  the  fleshy 
parts,  which  otherwise  it  would  have  done.  For  in  infancy  we 
observe,  that  all  the  limbs  grow  at  the  same  time,  and  extend  them- 
selves in  length,  breadth,  and  thickness,  in  such  exact  proportion,  as 
always  to  be  in  harmony  with  the  size  of  the  whole  body. 

Admire,  then,  O  man,  the  perfection  and  beauty  of  thy  body ; 
the  relation,  harmony,  and  proportion  which  are  preserved  in  all  its 
parts  !  Observe  how  each  member  is  connected  with  another,  with- 
out their  ever  being  embarrassed,  or  impeding  each  other  in  their 
different  functions  ;  how  they  are  placed  in  the  most  suitable  places 
of  the  body,  the  more  easily  to  fulfil  their  different  fimctions,  and 
mutually  to  assist  one  another  !  All  these  organs  are  so  many  springs 
in  the  wonderful  machine  ;  they  correspond  together,  and  act  in  con- 
cert to  complete  the  several  purposes  for  which  they  are  designed. 
Be  careful  not  to  destroy  this  beautiful  machine,  nor  injure  it  by  thy 
disorders  and  excesses.  Be  careful  not  to  degrade  it  by  base  and  in- 
famous passions ;  but  so  act  that  thy  body  may  be  a  living  monu- 
ment of  God's  wisdom  and  goodness.  And  more  especially  neglect 
nothing  that  can  tend  to  improve  thy  soul,  which  has  been  so  debased 
by  sin  ;  and  use  all  thy  endeavours  to  re-establish  it  in  its  original 
purity  by  the  grace  and  mediation  of  thy  Redeemer. 


430 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


NOVEMBER  XIX. 

ORDER  AND  REGULARITY  OF  NATURE. 

When  we  contemplate  the  world,  we  discover  in  every  direction 
the  traces  of  a  supreme  intelligence,  which  has  ordered  every  thing, 
and  foreseen  all  the  effects  that  would  result  from  the  powers  which 
were  imparted  to  nature ;  an  inteUigence  which  has  considered, 
weighed,  and  measured  all  things  to  answer  his  designs  with  a 
wisdom  that  is  infinite.  Thus,  the  universe  being  once  formed  can 
subsist  for  ever,  and  constantly  fulfil  its  destination,  without  any 
necessity  for  the  first  established  laws  being  changed ;  whilst  the 
contrary  is  too  often  the  case  with  the  works  of  men.  Machines  the 
most  skilfully  constructed  soon  cease  to  answer  their  intended  pur- 
poses :  they  require  frequent  repairs,  are  soon  worn  out,  and  rendered 
unfit  for  use.  The  cause  of  these  derangements  and  irregularities 
is  to  be  looked  for  in  their  general  construction  ;  for  there  is  no  artist, 
however  able  he  may  be,  who  can  foresee  all  the  changes  to  which 
his  works  will  be  subjected,  much  less  can  he  obviate  them. 

The  corporeal  world  may  also  be  regarded  as  a  machine,  whose 
component  parts  and  different  uses  are  innumerable.  It  is  divided 
into  several  globes,  luminous  and  opaque,  which  serve  for  habitations 
to  an  infinite  number  of  living  creatures  of  every  species.  The 
opaque  globes  move  in  orbs  prescribed  to  them,  and  at  regular  pe- 
riods, round  the  luminous  globes,  and  receive  from  them  their  light, 
heat,  day  and  night,  diversity  of  seasons  and  temperature,  growth, 
and  nourishment,  according  to  the  nature  and  wants  of  the  different 
inhabitants.  The  position  and  mutual  gravitation  of  the  planets  are 
so  diversified,  that  it  seems  also  impossible  to  determine  beforehand 
the  time  when  they  will  return  to  the  point  whence  they  set  out,  and 
recommence  their  periodical  course  ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  diver- 
sity of  phenomena  which  these  globes  present  to  us,  and  the  astonish- 
ing multiplicity  of  their  movements,  it  has  not  once  happened,  in  the 
course  of  thousands  of  years,  that  these  enormous  masses  have  ever 
in  the  least  interrupted  or  obstructed  each  other  in  their  revolutions. 
All  the  planets  regularly  traverse  their  orbs  in  the  time  allotted  them. 
They  have  always  preserved  their  order  and  respective  distances,  and 
have  not  approached  nearer  to  the  sun.  Their  forces  are  always  in 
equipoise,  and  preserve  the  same  relation  to  each  other.  The  fixed 
stars  are  the  same  to-day  as  they  were  a  thousand  years  ago  ;  nor 
has  any  alteration  taken  place  in  the  height  of  the  sun,  the  duration 
of  night  and  day,  or  the  length  of  years  and  seasons.  An  incon- 
testable proof  that  in  the  first  arrangement  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  in 
the  measure,  the  laws,  and  the  relations  of  their  forces,  in  tlie  regu- 
larity and  rapidity  of  their  course,  the  Author  of  Nature  has  foreseen 
and  determined  the  future  state  of  the  world,  and  of  its  component 
parts,  to  the  utmost  limits  of  time. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  our  earth,  inasmuch  as  it  is  annually 


4 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  431 

subjected  to  different  revolutions  and  changes  of  temperature.  For 
though  it  may  at  first  seem  as  if  fine  weather,  cold,  heat,  rain,  dew, 
snow,  hail,  storms,  lightning,  and  winds,  vary  indifferently,  and  are 
dispensed  by  accident ;  that  it  is  by  mere  chance  that  waters  inun- 
date the  earth,  and  convert  dry  land  into  lakes,  and  produce  conti- 
nents where  once  were  seas  ;  that  some  mountains  are  formed,  whilst 
others  moulder  into  dust ;  that  rivers  dry  up,  or  change  their  course; 
yet  it  is  certainly  true  that  each  modification  of  our  earth  has  its 
suflftcient  cause  in  that  which  precedes  it,  and  the  whole  in  that 
which  was  established  in  the  beginning  of  the  creation. 

Nothing  is  more  proper  to  convince  us  how  little  we  know  of  the 
particular  causes  of  natural  events,  and  their  connexion  with  the 
future,  than  that  diversity  which  we  observe  in  the  temperature  of 
the  air  ;  a  diversity  that  has  so  much  influence  upon  the  aspect  and 
fertility  of  our  globe.  In  vain  may  we  multiply  our  meteorological 
observations ;  we  cannot  with  any  certainty  deduce  from  them  cer- 
tain rules  and  consequences  for  the  future  ;  and  we  never  find  one 
year  exactly  resemble  another.  However,  we  are  well  assured  that 
these  continued  variations,  this  seeming  confusion  of  the  elements, 
neither  alter  the  figure  of  our  globe,  destroy  its  equilibrium,  nor  ren- 
der it  uninhabitable ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  that  they  are  the  true 
means  of  preserving,  from  year  to  year,  its  order,  fertility,  and 
abundance. 

Thus  the  world  is  not  composed  of  unconnected,  disjointed  mate- 
rials, of  parts  without  relation  or  dependence  upon  each  other ;  but 
is  a  regular  and  perfect  whole,  whose  structure  and  arrangement  are 
the  work  of  a  supreme  intelligence.  If  we  see  in  the  world  a  multi- 
tude of  beings  with  the  same  nature  and  destination  as  ourselves, 
and  catenated  together  by  a  number  of  Hnks ;  if  we  discover  classes 
and  species  of  other  creatures  still  more  numerous,  which  have  also 
mutual  ties  of  connexion,  more  or  less  distant ;  if  we  acknowledge 
that  by  the  mixture  and  action  of  the  elements  all  these  animated 
beings  are  supported,  and  receive  all  that  their  nature  requires  ;  and 
if  we  then  elevate  our  views,  and,  carrying  them  further,  consider 
the  relations  which  exist  between  our  earth  and  the  heavenly  bodies, 
their  constant  regularity  of  motion,  the  conformity  and  wonderful 
harmony  that  prevail  between  all  the  spheres  within  our  sight,  we 
shall  be  more  and  more  filled  with  admiration  and  astonishment  at 
the  magnificence,  order,  and  beauty  of  nature,  and  shall  be  more 
deeply  convinced  of  the  infinite  wisdom  of  the  Creator ;  and  from 
what  we  are  permitted  to  know  at  present  of  the  beauty  and  har- 
mony of  the  material  w^orld,  we  may  form  some  faint  idea  of  the 
glory  of  that  eternal  hght  which  will  one  day  manifest  to  the  right- 
eous, in  the  regions  of  bliss,  the  presence  of  their  God,  and  enable 
them  to  read  in  the  book  of  wisdom. 


432 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


NOVEMBER  XX. 

OF  WINTER  IN  THE  NORTHERN  COUNTRIES. 

The  time  now  approaches  when  the  discontent  of  many  people  is 
excited.  The  rigorous  season  of  winter  seems  to  them  to  counteract 
the  otherwise  sage  and  beneficent  plan  of  the  Father  of  the  universe: 
the  rich  complain  that  nature  is  become  desolate  and  dreary ;  and  the 
poor  murmur  because  in  this  season  their  necessities  are  increased, 
and  their  indigence  is  more  oppressive.  Though  ungrateful  men 
may  magnify  the  inconvenience  and  the  miseries  of  winter,  they  will 
be  forced  in  the  end,  if  they  compare  their  lot  with  that  of  some  other 
nations,  to  acknowledge  how  much  goodness  and  mercy  God  extends 
to  them  in  this  respect. 

In  many  of  the  northern  countries  there  is  neither  spring  nor  au- 
tumn, while  the  heat  in  summer  is  as  insupportable  as  the  cold  in 
winter;  which  last  is  so  intense,  that  spirits  of  wine  congeal  in  ther- 
mometers. When  the  door  of  a  heated  chamber  is  opened,  the  exter- 
nal air,  penetrating  it,  converts  into  snow  all  the  vapours  which  it 
contains,  and  the  people  who  are  in  it  are  thus  encompassed  in  a 
cloud  of  white  thick  flakes.  If  they  go  out  of  their  houses  they  are 
nearly  suffocated,  and  the  air  seems  to  tear  their  lungs.  Death  ap- 
pears every  where  to  reign,  no  one  daring  to  quit  his  abode.  Some- 
times the  cold  is  so  severe,  and  comes  on  so  suddenly,  that  if  a  man 
cannot  escape  with  sufficient  celerity  he  is  in  danger  of  losing  an 
arm  or  a  leg,  or  even  life  itself.  The  fall  of  snow  is  still  more  dan- 
gerous ;  the  wind  driving  it  with  such  violence,  that  the  roads  are 
blocked  up,  the  trees  and  bushes  are  covered  with  it,  and  every  step 
plunges  the  unwary  traveller  in  some  new  precipice.  In  summer,  for 
three  months  successively,  there  is  constant  day;  and  in  winter,  for 
the  same  space,  there  is  a  continued  night. 

What  would  those  people  say,  who  complain  of  its  being  cold  in 
this  country,  if  they  were  obliged  to  live  in  such  a  climate  as  that 
which  we  have  just  described?  It  is  certain  we  do  not  sufficiently 
know  the  advantages  we  possess,  or  a  very  slight  reflection  would 
suffice  to  render  us  content  with  our  lot.  The  days  of  winter,  how- 
ever severe  Ave  may  think  them,  even  in  this  country,  are,  neverthe- 
less, supportable  ;  and  if  some  people  suffer  much  from  them,  it  is 
commonly  owing  to  improper  hving  that  they  have  reduced  them- 
selves to  such  a  state  of  effeminacy. 

Some  people  will  perhaps  ask,  why  the  Creator  has  assigned  as  an 
abode  to  so  many  thousands  of  men  countries  where,  during  a  great 
part  of  the  year,  nature  is  seen  clothed  with  terror  ?  Why  has  he  not 
favoured  these  people  as  much  as  he  has  blessed  us  ?  Vain  questions  ! 
It  is  an  error  to  suppose  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  poles  are  unhappy 
from  the  severity  and  length  of  their  winters.  Poor,  but  exempt  by 
their  simphcity  from  all  desires  difficult  to  be  gratified,  these  people  i 
live  contented,  and  are  happy  in  the  midst  of  the  icy  rocks  which  en- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


433 


compass  them,  without  knowing  the  comforts  that  the  inhabitants  of 
more  temperate  countries  regard  as  the  most  essential  to  their  felicity. 
If  the  dryness  of  the  soil  prevents  the  productions  of  the  earth  from 
being  so  varied  are  those  of  our  climate,  the  sea  compensates  for  it 
by  gifts  equally  rich.  The  manner  in  which  these  people  live  inures 
them  to  the  cold,  and  enables  them  to  brave  the  storms  ;  and  nature 
has  supplied  them  with  the  necessary  assistance  to  support  the  rigours 
of  their  climate.  She  has  given  them  the  reindeer,  from  which  they 
obtain  their  nourishment,  bedding,  clothing,  and  tents ;  and  thus 
their  principal  wants  are  satisfied  by  an  animal  which  costs  them 
very  little  for  its  maintenance.  Their  deserts  are  filled  with  wild 
beasts,  whose  furs  secure  them  from  cold.  Though  the  sun  does  not 
shine  upon  them,  and  they  are  enveloped  in  darkness,  nature  herself 
lights  for  them  a  torch,  and  the  aurora-borealis  faintly  illumines  their 
nights.  And  these  very  people  consider  their  country  as  the  most 
happy  and  extensive  in  the  universe,  whilst  they  regard  us  with  as 
much  pity  and  contempt  as  we  can  possibly  feel  for  them. 

Thus  every  climate  enjoys  its  advantages  and  disadvantages,  and 
these  are  generally  so  equally  balanced,  that  it  is  difficult  to  say  which 
has  the  preference.  Considering  it  in  this  point  of  view^,  there  is  no 
country  upon  the  earth  can  be  said  to  be  more  advantageous  than 
another  ;  whether  the  sun  throws  his  rays  upon  it  in  a  particular  di- 
rection, or  whether  they  are  received  obliquely,  or  whether  eternal 
snows  whiten  the  surface.  In  one  place  the  conveniences  of  life  are 
more  abundant ;  in  another,  the  variety  of  blessings  is  not  so  great ; 
but  to  compensate  for  this,  the  inhabitants  are  less  subject  to  tempta- 
tions, to  corroding  cares,  and  piercing  remorse ;  they  do  not  experi- 
ence many  obstacles  to  their  happiness,  and  this  doubtless  compensates 
for  many  enjoyments  of  which  they  are  depriv^ed.  And  of  this  we 
may  be  certain,  that  Providence  has  distributed  to  each  country  all 
that  was  necessary  to  the  support  and  happiness  of  its  inhabitants  ; 
every  thing  is  suited  to  the  nature  of  the  climate,  and  God  has  pro- 
vided by  the  wisest  means  for  the  wants  of  all  his  creatures 


NOVEMBER  XXI. 

TRANSFORMATIONS   IN  NATURE. 

Numerous  transformations  take  place  in  nature  ;  indeed  it  may  be 
said,  that  every  thing  in  the  physical  world,  at  one  period  or  another, 
is  metamorphosed.  The  figure  of  objects  continually  varies  ;  cer- 
tain bodies  pass  successively  through  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature ; 
and  there  are  compound  substances,  which  gradually  become  mine- 
rals, plants,  insects,  reptiles,  fish,  birds,  quadrupeds,  and  man.  Every 
year  millions  of  bodies  blend  together,  and  are  reduced  to  dust.  Where 
are  the  flowers  which,  during  the  spring  and  the  summer,  ornamented 
our  fields  and  our  gardens  1  One  species  has  appeared,  withered,  and 
37  3  E 


434 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


given  place  to  others.  The  flowers  of  March,  and  the  modest  violet, 
after  announcing  by  their  presence  the  arrival  of  spring,  have  yielded 
their  place  to  the  tuhp  and  the  rose.  In  the  room  of  these  we  have 
seen  others,  till  all  the  flowers  have  fulfilled  their  design.  The  same 
holds  good  with  regard  to  man.  One  generation  shows  itself,  and 
another  disappears.  Every  year  thousands  of  human  bodies  return 
to  the  dust  from  whence  they  were  taken  ;  and  of  these  evanescent 
bodies  others  more  beautiful  are  formed.  The  salts  and  the  oils  of 
which  they  were  composed  dissolve  in  the  earth ;  the  more  subtile 
particles  are  raised  into  the  atmosphere  by  the  sun's  heat,  and  mixing 
there  with  other  matters,  are  dispersed  in  different  directions  by  the 
winds,  and  fall  down  in  rain  and  dew,  sometimes  in  one  place,  and 
sometimes  in  another ;  whilst  the  grosser  particles  mix  with  the  earth. 
The  grass  which  is  nourished  by  them  grows  up  into  long  blades ; 
and  it  is  thus  that  the  flesh  of  men,  transformed  into  grass,  serves  as 
aliment  to  the  flocks,  whose  wholesome  milk  is  again  converted  to  our 
own  subsistence. 

These  continual  transformations,  thus  operating  in  nature,  are  so 
many  certain  proofs  that  the  Creator  has  designed  that  nothing  should 
perish  or  be  useless.  The  dust  of  flowers,  used  in  the  fecundation  of 
plants,  is  only  a  very  small  part  of  what  each  flower  contains  ;  and 
that  the  superabundant  portion  may  not  be  lost,  bees  are  created, 
which  make  use  of  it  to  form  their  honey.  The  earth  daily  presents 
us  with  new  presents,  and  it  would  in  the  end  be  exhausted,  if  what 
it  gives  was  not  in  some  way  or  other  returned  again. 

All  organized  bodies  suffer  decomposition,  and  are  at  last  converted 
into  earth.  During  this  dissolution,  their  volatile  parts  rise  into  the 
air,  and  are  dispersed  in  every  direction.  Thus  the  remains  of  ani- 
mals are  diffused  through  the  air,  as  well  as  through  the  earth  and 
the  water.  All  these  particles,  so  dispersed,  unite  together  again  in 
new  organic  bodies,  which  in  their  turn  will  undergo  similar  revolu- 
tions. And  this  circulation,  and  these  continual  metamorphoses, 
which  commenced  with  the  world,  will  only  terminate  with  its  dis- 
solution. 

The  most  remarkable  transformation,  or  at  least  that  which  interests 
us  the  most,  is  that  in  which  we  are  immediately  concerned.  We 
know  that  our  body  was  not  once  composed,  and  will  not  be  so  in  the 
end,  of  the  same  number  of  parts  as  it  is  when  in  its  greatest  perfec- 
tion. Our  body,  when  in  our  mother's  womb,  was  extremely  small ; 
it  became  much  larger  when  we  were  brought  into  the  world,  and 
since  then  has  increased  to  fifteen  or  twenty  times  the  bulk  it  then 
had  :  consequently  blood,  flesh,  and  other  matters,  supplied  by  the 
vegetable  or  animal  kingdom,  and  which  formerly  did  not  belong  to 
our  body,  have  been  since  assimilated  to  it,  and  are  become  parts  of 
ourselves.  The  daily  necessity  of  eating  proves  that  there  is  a  con- 
tinual waste  of  the  parts  of  which  we  are  composed,  and  that  this  loss 
must  be  repaired  by  alimentary  matter.  Many  parts  insensibly  em- 
porate;  for  since  the  experiments  which  a  certain  great  physician 
made  upon  himself,  it  is  ascertained,  that  of  eight  pounds  of  nourish- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


435 


ment  necessary  to  support  a  healthy  man  in  one  day,  only  the  fiftieth 
part  is  converted  into  his  own  substance  ;  all  the  rest  passing  off  by 
perspiration  and  other  excretions.  Hence  also  it  may  be  inferred, 
that  in  ten  years  there  will  not  remain  many  of  the  same  particles 
that  now  constitute  our  bodies.  And  at  length,  when  they  shall  have 
passed  through  all  their  different  changes,  they  will  be  converted  into 
dust,  till  the  blessed  day  of  the  resurrection,  when  they  will  undergo 
that  happy  and  final  revolution  that  will  place  them  in  a  state  of 
eternal  rest. 


NOVEMBER  XXII. 

THE  GREATNESS  OP  GOD  IS  PERCEPTIBLE  IN  THE  LEAST  THINGS. 

He  who  loves  to  meditate  upon  the  works  of  God  will  not  only 
trace  him  in  the  immense  spheres  which  compose  the  system  of  the 
universe,  but  also  in  the  least  bodies  of  insects,  plants,  and  metals. 
He  will  find  and  adore  the  divine  wisdom  in  the  spider's  w^eb,  as  he 
would  in  that  power  of  attraction  which  preserves  the  planets  in  their 
orbs.  These  researches  are  facilitated  by  the  use  of  the  microscope, 
which  discovers  to  us  new  worlds,  where  w^e  may  admire  in  miniature 
much  that  will  excite  our  admiration  ;  and  those  who  have  not  had 
opportunities  of  using  these  instruments  will  at  least  read  with  plea- 
sure some  account  of  microscopic  objects. 

Let  us  first  consider  the  inanimate  world.  Let  us  observe  the 
mosses  and  small  herbs  which  nature  produces  in  such  abundance. 
How  numicrous  are  the  subtile  parts  and  delicate  fibres  contained  in 
these  plants  !  How  diversified  their  form  and  appearance  !  How 
innumerable  their  species  !  Let  us  think  upon  the  immense  number 
of  minute  parts  of  which  every  body  whatever  is  composed,  and  which 
may  be  separated  from  it.  If  a  hexagonal  body  of  an  inch  square 
contains  a  hundred  millions  of  visible  parts,  who  can  calculate  all  the 
parts  contained  in  a  mountain]  If  a  million  globules  of  water  can 
be  suspended  at  the  point  of  a  needle,  how  many  ought  there  to  be  in 
a  spring,  a  well,  a  river,  a  sea  ]  If  from  a  lighted  taper  there  are  emit- 
ted in  the  space  of  one  second  more  particles  of  light  than  there  are 
grains  of  sand  on  the  whole  earth,  how  many  ignited  particles  ought 
there  to  pass  from  a  large  fire  in  the  space  of  one  hour  ?  If  a  grain  of 
sand  contains  several  millions  of  particles  of  air,  how  many  must 
there  be  in  the  human  body  1  If  we  can  divide  a  single  grain  of  cop- 
per into  millions  of  parts,  without  arriving  at  the  elements  of  matter ; 
if  odoriferous  bodies  can  exhale  fragrant  particles  enough  to  perfume 
the  air  at  a  great  distance,  without  the  body  losing  any  thing  of  its 
weight ;  the  human  mind  would  require  an  eternity  merely  to  reckon 
the  prodigious  number  of  these  particles. 

If  we  now  pass  to  the  animal  creation,  our  vie^ws  will  be  infinitely 
extended.  During  the  summer,  the  air  swarms  with  living  creatures ; 


436 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


each  drop  of  water  is  a  little  world,  teeming  with  inhabitants;  every 
leaf  is  a  colony  of  insects ;  and  every  grain  of  sand  serves  as  an  abode 
to  multitudes  of  animate  beings.  Every  plant,  seed,  and  flower,  nou- 
rishes millions  of  creatures.  Every  person  must  have  seen  those 
innumerable  swarms  of  gnats,  flies,  and  insects,  which  collect  together 
in  a  very  small  space  :  what  prodigious  hosts  of  them  must  then  live, 
enjoy  themselves,  and  multiply  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  in 
the  immense  extent  of  the  atmosphere  !  How  many  myriads  of 
insects,  worms,  and  reptiles,  must  creep  upon  the  earth,  or  be  con- 
tained within  its  bosom  !  a  number  so  great  as  to  be  known  to  God 
alone.  How  splendidly  manifest  is  his  power,  when  we  think  of  the 
multitude  of  parts  which  form  these  little  creatures,  of  whose  very 
existence  many  men  are  entirely  ignorant !  Were  we  not  assured  of 
it  by  daily  experience,  could  we  imagine  that  there  are  animals  which, 
being  a  million  of  times  smaller  than  a  grain  of  sand,  have  yet  organs 
of  nutrition,  motion,  and  generation  !  There  are  shellfish  so  minute, 
that,  seen  through  a  microscope,  they  scarcely  appear  so  large  as  a 
grain  of  barley  ;  and  yet  they  are  living  animals,  with  secure  habita- 
tions, whose  different  folds  and  cavities  form  so  many  chambers. 
How  very  small  is  a  mite  ;  and  yet,  almost  imperceptible  as  it  is,  seen 
through  a  microscope,  it  is  found  to  be  a  hairy  animal,  perfect  in  all 
its  limbs,  of  a  regular  form,  full  of  life  and  feeling,  and  provided  with 
all  the  organs  necessary  to  it !  Though  this  animal  nearly  escapes 
our  perception,  it  possesses  a  multitude  of  parts  much  smaller :  and 
what  is  still  more  wonderful,  is,  that  the  glasses  which  enable  us  to 
discover  so  many  faults  and  imperfections  in  the  most  finished  pro- 
ductions of  men,  only  more  plainly  indicate  the  regularity  and  perfec- 
tion of  these  minute  creatures.  How^  inconceivably  fine  and  delicate 
are  the  threads  of  a  spider  !  It  has  been  calculated,  that  thirty-six 
thousand  would  not  more  than  make  the  thickness  of  a  thread  of 
common  sewing  silk.  Each  of  the  six  papillae,  whence  the  spider 
draws  that  glutinous  liquor  with  which  it  forms  its  web,  is'composed 
of  a  thousand  insensible  pores,  through  which  so  many  threads  pass, 
so  that  each  visible  thread  of  the  spider  is  composed  of  six  thousand 
smaller  ones. 

Great  as  these  wonders  may  appear,  they  are  far  short  of  those  we 
should  discover,  were  it  possible  to  obtain  glasses  of  greater  magnify- 
ing powers ;  and  even  then  we  could  never  reach  the  limits  of  the 
creation,  though  our  microscopes  magnified  objects  many  millions  of 
times  more  than  they  now  do.  The  more  we  contemplate  the  works 
of  God,  the  more  will  the  proofs  of  his  power  be  multiplied.  We  are 
confounded  by  the  two  extremes  of  nature,  the  great  and  the  small ; 
and  we  scarcely  know  whether  to  admire  the  Creator  most  in  the  im- 
mense spheres  which  roll  their  orbs  in  the  heavens,  or  in  those  minute 
productions  which  are  almost  imperceptible  to  our  eyes. 

Let  us,  then,  henceforth  regard  the  contemplation  of  the  works  of 
God  as  our  most  delightful  employment.  The  trouble  that  we  take 
in  investigating  them  will  be  amply  compensated  by  the  pure  and 
innocent  pleasures  which  they  will  procure  us.    We  shall  have  an 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


437 


ardent  desire  awakened  in  our  minds  to  arrive  at  tfiose  blessed  regions, 
where  we  shall  require  neither  microscope  nor  telescope  to  discover  and 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  wonders  of  God  ;  where  all  his  works 
will  be  presented  to  the  eye  in  unveiled  beauty,  and  where  we  shall 
distinguish  in  each  object  its  relations,  structure,  and  destination  ; 
where  hymns  of  praise  will  be  chanted  by  immortal  spirits,  in  cele- 
bration of  the  Creator  of  the  universe  ;  and  where  all  distinctions 
between  great  and  little  will  be  lost  in  one  grand  whole,  that  will  fill 
our  souls  with  joy,  love,  and  admiration. 


NOVEMBER  XXIII. 

GRADUAL  INCREASE  OF  THE  COLD. 

The  cold  begins  now  to  increase  perceptibly.  With  the  past 
month,  much  of  the  autumnal  w^armth  has  departed.  It  is  already 
colder,  and  the  shorter  the  days  become,  the  more  will  the  earth  lose 
its  heat.  This  we  daily  experience,  and  it  requires  only  a  slight 
degree  of  attention  to  discover  in  this  arrangement  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  God. 

This  gradual  increase  of  cold  is  necessary  to  prevent  the  indisposi- 
tion, and  perhaps  the  total  destruction  of  our  body.  If  the  cold  that 
we  experience  during  the  winter  months  came  suddenly  with  the 
commencement  of  autumn,  we  should  be  benumbed,  and  the  sudden- 
ness of  the  change  might  be  fatal  to  us.  As  it  is,  we  are  very  liable 
to  catch  cold  in  the  cool  summer  evenings  ;  how,  then,  would  it  be, 
if  we  suddenly  passed  from  the  burning  heat  of  summer  to  the  pierc- 
ing cold  of  winter  1  How  mercifully  has  the  Creator  provided  for  our 
health  and  our  lives  in  thus  granting  us,  in  those  months  which  im- 
mediately succeed  the  summer,  a  temperature  that  gradually  prepares 
our  bodies  to  bear  more  easily  the  increase  of  cold  ?  What  would 
become  of  those  animals  whose  constitution  cannot  bear  a  great  degree 
of  cold,  if  winter  suddenly  came  without  any  previous  preparation  1 
The  greater  part  of  birds  and  insects  would  perish  in  a  single  night, 
and  with  them  their  eggs  and  their  young :  whereas,  by  the  gradual 
augmentation  of  the  cold,  they  have  time  to  make  the  necessary  pre- 
parations for  their  preservation.  The  autumnal  months,  which  se- 
parate the  winter  from  the  summer,  warn  them  to  quit  their  abodes, 
and  repair  to  warmer  climates,  or  to  seek  out  places  where  they  may 
pass  quietly  and  in  safety  the  rough  season. 

It  would  be  equally  fatal  to  our  fields  and  our  gardens,  if  they  were 
to  be  suddenly  deprived  of  the  summer  heat :  all  plants,  and  parti- 
cularly exotics,  would  inevitably  perish  ;  and  the  spring  could  no  more 
yield  us  flowers,  nor  the  summer  fruits. 

It  is,  therefore,  but  just  that  we  should  acknowledge  in  this  arrange- 
ment the  wisdom  and  the  goodness  of  God  ;  and  not  regard  it  as  a 
matter  of  little  consequence,  that  from  the  last  days  of  summer  to  the 
37** 


438 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


commencemenl  of  winter,  the  heat  as  gradually  diminishes  as  the  cold 
increases.  These  insensible  revolutions  were  necessary,  that  we  and 
all  other  creatures  might  be  able  to  subsist,  and  that  the  earth  might 
continue  to  open  to  us  her  rich  stores.  Let  the  presumptuous  man, 
who  so  often  dares  to  blame  the  laws  of  nature,  only  displace  one 
single  wheel  in  the  vast  machine  of  the  creation,  and  he  will  soon 
have  occasion  to  feel  the  injury  he  has  done,  and  learn  to  his  sorrow, 
that  though  he  might  disorganize  the  arrangements  of  nature,  he 
could  never  amend  them.  Let  us,  then,  receive  it  as  a  truth,  that 
nothing  is  made  without  just  reason  ;  and  no  revolution  happens 
without  a  sufficient  preparation.  All  material  events  gradually  suc- 
ceed each  other;  all  are  preserved  in  the  most  regular  order ;  and  all 
take  place  exactly  at  the  appointed  time:  order  is  the  great  law  with 
which  God  rules  the  universe  ;  and  hence  it  is  that  all  his  works  are 
so  beautiful,  invariable,  and  perfect. 

If  it  was  our  constant  occupation  to  study  this  beauty  and  perfec- 
tion in  the  works  of  God,  and  to  acknowledge  in  every  season  of  the 
year  the  traces  of  his  divine  power  and  goodness,  we  should  hear  no 
more  of  those  foolish  complaints  by  which  we  dishonour  our  Creator  ; 
but  we  should  ever  find  order,  wisdom,  and  goodness,  even  in  those 
productions  where  we  only  expected  to  discover  disorder  and  imper- 
fection ;  and  we  should  say,  from  the  fullest  conviction,  '  All  the  paths 
of  the  Lord  are  truth  and  mercy;  all  his  conduct  towards  his  creatures 
love  and  kindness ;  and  may  we  ever  revere  his  covenant,  and  che- 
rish his  precepts.' 


NOVEMBER  XXIV. 

SNOW. 

During  winter  we  frequently  see  the  ground  covered  with  snow. 
Every  body  observes  it  fall,  but  very  few  people  give  themselves  the 
trouble  to  inquire  into  its  nature  and  uses.  Such  is  too  generally  the 
case  with  those  objects  which  daily  come  under  our  notice,  and  from 
which  we  derive  very  considerable  advantages.  Often,  indeed,  the 
very  things  most  deserving  of  our  attention  are  those  which  we  chiefly 
neglect.  Let  us  henceforth  be  more  rational,  and  begin  by  devoting 
some  moments  to  the  consideration  of  snow. 

It  is  formed  by  very  subtile  vapours,  which  being  congealed  in  the 
atmosphere,  fall  down  in  flakes  more  or  less  thick.  In  our  climates 
these  flakes  are  pretty  large ;  but  we  are  informed,  that  in  Lapland 
they  are  sometimes  so  small  as  to  resemble  a  fine  dry  powder.  This  is 
doubtless  caused  by  the  extreme  cold  which  prevails  there ;  and  it  is  also 
remarked,  that  in  our  own  country  the  flakes  are  greater  in  proportion 
as  the  cold  is  less  severe,  and  they  become  less  when  it  freezes  strongly. 
The  little  flakes  generally  resemble  hexagonal  stars ;  sometimes, 
however,  they  have  eight  angles,  and  at  others  ten,  and  some  of  them 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


439 


have  an  irregular  shape.  The  best  way  of  observing  them  is  to 
receive  the  snow  upon  white  paper :  hitherto,  little  has  been  said  of 
the  cause  of  these  different  figures.  The  whiteness  of  snow  may  be 
thus  accounted  for  :  it  is  extremely  light  and  thin,  consequently  full 
of  pores,  and  these  contain  air  :  it  is  farther  composed  of  parts  more  or 
less  thick  and  compact ;  and  such  a  substance  does  not  admit  the 
sun's  rays  to  pass,  neither  does  it  absorb  them  ;  on  the  contrary,  it 
reflects  them  very  powerfully,  and  this  gives  it  that  white  appearance 
which  we  see  in  it. 

Snow,  as  it  falls,  is  twenty-four  times  lighter  than  water,  which 
may  be  proved  by  melting  twenty-four  measures  of  snow,  and  they 
will  be  found  to  produce  but  one  of  water.  Snow  evaporates  consi- 
derably, and  the  greatest  degree  of  cold  does  not  obstruct  this  evapora- 
tion. It  has  been  doubted  whether  snow  ever  falls  at  sea;  but  those 
who  have  navigated  the  northern  seas  in  winter  affirm  that  they  have 
there  seen  much  snow.  It  is  well  known  that  high  mountains  are 
never  entirely  without  snow  ;  and  though  a  small  portion  of  it  is 
sometimes  melted,  new  flakes  soon  replace  it.  The  air  being  much 
warmer  in  the  plains  than  it  is  on  the  mountains,  it  may  rain  on  the 
one  while  it  snows  on  the  other. 

Snow  has  several  uses.  As  the  cold  of  winter  is  much  more  destruc- 
tive to  the  vegetable  than  to  the  animal  kingdom,  plants  would 
perish  if  they  were  not  preserved  by  some  covering.  God  has  then 
designed  that  the  rain,  which,  during  the  summer,  descended  to 
refresh  and  reanimate  the  plants,  should  fall  in  winter  like  soft  wool, 
to  cover  and  protect  them  from  the  injuries  they  must  otherwise  have 
sustained  from  the  frost  and  the  winds.  When  the  snow  melts,  it 
becomes  a  fruitful  moisture  to  the  earth,  and  at  the  same  time  washes 
away  from  the  winter  seeds  and  plants  every  thing  that  might  pre- 
vent or  injure  their  growth  ;  and  any  superabundance  of  melted  snow 
that  then  remains,  goes  to  supply  the  rivers  and  springs  that  suffered 
during  the  winter. 

These  reflections  may  suffice  to  convince  us  of  the  goodness  of  God 
manifested  in  the  meteor  of  which  we  have  just  treated  ;  and  let  us 
raise  our  hearts  in  joy  and  gratitude  to  that  beneficent  God,  who  even 
from  clouds  and  snow  pours  down  blessings  and  abundance  upon  the 
earth. 


NOVEMBER  XXV. 

SLEEP  OF  ANIMALS  DURING  THE  WINTER. 

Nature  being  deprived  of  so  many  creatures,  which  in  summer 
rendered  her  lively  and  cheerful,  now  appears  gloomy  and  dead. 
Most  of  the  animals  which  have  disappeared  are  buried  during  the 
winter  in  a  profound  sleep.  This  is  the  case  with  caterpillars,  May- 
bugs,  ants,  flies,  spiders,  snails,  frogs,  lizards,  and  serpents.    It  is  an 


440 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


erroneous  supposition  that  ants  lay  up  a  store  of  provisions  for  the 
winter  ;  the  least  cold  benumbs  them,  and  they  continue  in  a  state 
of  torpescence  till  the  return  of  spring  :  of  what  use,  then,  would  be 
magazines,  since  nature  has  prevented  the  necessity  of  their  having 
food  in  the  winter,  and  it  is  not  very  probable  that  they  should  lay  up 
stores  for  other  animals.  That  which  they  so  carefully  collect  during 
the  summer  does  not  serve  them  for  their  subsistence ;  they  make 
use  of  it  in  the  construction  of  their  habitations. 

There  are  many  birds  which,  when  food  begins  to  grow  scanty, 
conceal  themselves  in  the  earth,  or  in  caverns,  where  they  sleep  during 
the  winter.  It  is  certain,  that  at  the  beginning  of  winter  the  swal- 
lows which  dwell  near  the  seashore,  and  banks  of  rivers,  hide  them- 
selves in  the  earth,  and  the  wall  swallows  in  the  hollows  of  trees,  or 
in  old  buildings  ;  and  the  house,  or  common  swallows,  seek  the 
bottom  of  lakes  and  ponds,  where  they  attach  themselves  in  pairs, 
and  clinging  to  reeds,  remain  there,  seemingly  without  life  or  motion, 
till  the  return  of  warm  weather  reanimates  them. 

There  are  also  some  quadrupeds  which,  at  the  close  of  summer, 
bury  themselves  in  the  earth.  Of  these,  the  most  remarkable  is  the 
marmot,  or  mountain-rat,  which  generally  lives  on  the  Alps.  Though 
it  delights  in  the  highest  mountains,  in  the  regions  of  ice  and  snow, 
it  is  yet  more  subject  than  any  other  animal  to  the  benumbing  influ- 
ence of  cold.  Hence  it  is,  that  the  marmots  retire  about  the  end  of 
September,  or  the  beginning  of  October,  into  their  subterranean  abodes, 
where  they  continue  till  the  month  of  April.  Much  art  and  precau- 
tion is  observed  in  the  arrangement  of  their  winter  habitation.  It  is  a 
kind  of  gallery,  the  two  wings  of  which  have  each  a  particular 
opening,  and  both  terminate  in  a  place  where  there  is  no  outlet ;  and 
here  they  dwell.  It  is  lined  with  hay  and  moss.  These  animals  do 
not  lay  up  provisions  for  the  winter,  because  they  do  not  require  any. 
Before  entering  into  their  winter-quarters,  each  of  them  very  carefully 
prepares  for  itself  a  bed  with  hay  and  moss  ;  and  then,  after  having 
exactly  closed  both  the  entrances  into  their  retreat,  consign  themselves 
to  sleep  ;  and  as  long  as  they  remain  in  this  state  they  do  not  eat  any 
thing.  At  the  beginning  of  winter  they  are  so  fat,  that  some  of  them 
weigh  nearly  twenty  pounds  ;  but  they  gradually  become  thinner,  and 
towards  spring  are  very  lean.  When  they  are  discovered  in  their 
retreats,  they  are  found  rolled  up  like  a  ball  enveloped  with  hay  ;  and 
during  their  torpid  state  they  may  be  carried  away  without  their 
awakening,  and  even  be  killed  without  their  appearing  to  feel. 

Bears  eat  prodigiously  at  the  beginning  of  winter  :  they  are  natu- 
rally fat,  and  at  that  time  are  still  more  so;  and  it  is  by  this  exuberance 
of  fat  that  they  are  enabled  to  endure  their  long  abstinence  during 
their  repose  in  winter.  Badgers  prepare  themselves  for  their  winter's 
repose  in  the  same  manner,  before  they  enter  their  retreat. 

The  instinct  of  these,  and  other  animals,  thus  teaches  them  how 
to  live  so  long  a  time  without  nourishment.  From  the  first  winter, 
and  before  experience  has  informed  them,  they  foresee  and  prepare 
for  their  long  sleep.    In  their  quiet  retreat  they  neither  experience 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


441 


want,  hunger,  nor  cold,  and  they  know  no  otner  season  than  summer. 
Thus  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  has  provided  for  the  wants  of 
all  his  creatures,  and  this  he  effects  by  a  thousand  different  means 
which  human  intelligence  cannot  conceive;  and  from  all  this  we  may 
safely  conclude,  that  as  he  watches  over  and  preserves  every  one  of 
his  works,  he  will  also  condescend  to  guard  us  from  danger,  and  pre- 
serve us  from  all  evils. 


NOVEMBER  XXVI. 

USE  OF  STORMS. 

During  this  stormy  season  of  the  year,  perhaps  some  discontented 
people  may  regard  winds  and  tempests,  which  are  now  so  frequent, 
as  the  disorders  and  scourges  of  nature  ;  they  do  not  consider  the 
advantages  which  result  from  them,  nor  that  without  them  we  should 
be  a  thousand  times  more  unhappy  than  we  really  are.  Storms  are 
the  best  means  of  purifying  the  atmosphere.  To  be  convinced  of  this, 
we  have  only  to  pay  attention  to  the  weather  which  prevails  in  this  sea- 
son. How  many  thick  and  unwholesome  fogs,  rainy,  dark,  and  cloudy 
days,  are  we  subject  to !  Storms  are  chiefly  instrumental  in  dispers- 
ing these  noxious  vapours,  and  by  thus  driving  them  from  us  are  very 
beneficial.  The  universe  is  governed  by  the  same  laws  as  man,  whom 
we  may  compare  to  a  little  world.  Our  health  in  a  great  measure 
consists  in  the  agitation  and  mixture  of  our  different  humours,  which 
otherwise  would  grow  corrupt.  And  so  it  is  with  the  world.  That 
the  air  may  not  become  injurious  to  the  earth  and  to  animals,  it  re- 
quires to  be  in  a  continual  agitation.  This  is  effected  by  the  winds  ; 
not,  however,  those  that  are  gentle  and  light,  but  by  storms  and  tem- 
pests, which  collect  together  vapours  from  different  countries  ;  and 
forming  one  mass  of  the  whole,  thus  blend  together  the  good  and  the 
bad,  correcting  one  by  the  other. 

Storms  are  also  useful  to  the  sea  ;  if  it  was  not  frequently  agitated 
with  some  degree  of  violence,  the  stagnation  even  of  salt  water  would 
occasion  a  degree  of  putrefaction,  not  only  destructive  to  the  nume- 
rous shoals  of  fish  which  live  in  it,  but  also  the  sailors  who  float  upon 
its  surface.  Motion  is  the  soul  of  all  nature,  preserving  every  thing 
in  order,  and  preventing  destruction  ;  and  the  sea,  which  contains  so 
much  animal  matter,  is  not  exempted  from  the  general  rule  ;  for^ 
were  it  not  constantly  agitated,  its  waters  would  become  putrid,  and 
cause  a  general  plague.  Motion  is  as  necessary  to  the  sea  as  the 
circulation  of  blood  is  to  animals  ;  and  those  causes  which  only  pro- 
duce a  gentle,  uniform,  and  almost  imperceptible  agitation,  are  not 
sufficient  to  purify  the  whole  mass.  Storms  alone  can  produce  this 
effect,  and  the  great  advantages  that  result  from  it,  not  to  men  only, 
but  to  many  miUions  of  other  creatures. 

These,  then,  are  some  of  the  uses  which  we  derive  from  storms, 

SF 


442 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


and  they  are  sufficient  to  prevent  our  regarding  them  any  longer  as 
destructive  scourges  and  instruments  of  wrath.  There  is  nothing  in 
nature  which  has  not  its  inconveniences,  and  storms  are  sometimes 
very  injurious  to  individuals;  but  the  evils  they  occasion  are  slight 
and  partial,  compared  with  the  general  good  that  they  produce  ;  and 
we  must  acknowledge  God  has  arranged  every  thing  with  wisdom, 
and  that  we  have  abundant  cause  to  be  thankful  for  the  present  con- 
stitution of  things.  Happy  are  they  w^ho  are  convinced  that  every 
thing  in  the  universe  relates  to  the  general  good  of  all  living  creatures; 
that  the  evil  existing  in  the  world  is  compensated  by  numberless 
advantages  ;  and  that  the  very  means  which  Providence  employs  to 
prove  and  chasten  his  children  are  in  themselves  indispensable  bless- 
ings, whose  general  effects  abundantly  recompense  us  for  every  evil 
that,  in  particular  instances,  may  result  from  their  operation. 


NOVEMBER  XXVII. 

FORTUITOUS  EVENTS. 

Properly  speaking,  chance  can  produce  nothing;  for  nothing  can 
happen  without  some  real  and  determinate  cause.  What  is  generally 
called  chance  is  nothing  more  than  the  unexpected  combination  of 
several  causes,  which  produce  an  effect  altogether  unforeseen.  Ex- 
erience  teaches  us  that  these  sort  of  occurrences  are  frequent  in 
uman  life.  Unforeseen  accidents  may  entirely  change  the  fortune 
of  men,  and  overturn  all  their  designs.  It  should  naturally  seem  as 
if  the  race  should  be  to  the  swift,  the  battle  to  the  strong,  and  success 
to  the  most  wise  and  prudent :  this,  however,  does  not  always  happen; 
frequently  an  unforeseen  accident,  a  favourable  circumstance,  an  event 
which  could  not  be  guarded  against,  effect  more  than  the  combined 
efforts  of  power,  of  genius,  and  of  human  wisdom  and  prudence.  How 
lamentable,  then,  would  be  the  destiny  of  man,  if  an  infinitely  wise 
and  beneficent  hand  did  not  rule  over  all  events  !  If  the  fate  of  men, 
of  families,  and  even  of  kingdoms,  often  depends  upon  circumstances 
which  appear  to  us  petty  and  trifling ;  and  if  we  were  desirous  of 
withdrawing  these  events  from  the  superintendence  of  Providence, 
we  should  at  the  same  time  deny  that  he  has  any  influence  upon  the 
greater  revolutions  that  take  place  in  the  world. 

We  daily  witness  the  occurrence  of  accidents  upon  w^liich  our  tem- 
poral happiness  or  misery  in  a  great  measure  depends.  It  is  evident 
that  we  cannot  guard  against  these  kind  of  accidents,  because  we 
cannot  foresee  them ;  and  hence  it  follows,  that  these  unexpected 
events,  which  are  beyond  the  reach  of  our  understanding,  and  of  our 
precaution  and  prudence,  must  be  under  the  especial  direction  of  Pro- 
vidence. God  in  his  wisdom  and  goodness  leaves  us  more  or  less  to 
ourselves,  according  as  we  have  greater  or  less  ability  to  conduct 
ourselves  with  propriety.  In  those  cases  where  our  power  and  abilities 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


443 


can  effect  nothing,  we  may  be  assured  that  God  will  particularly 
watch  over  us  for  our  good  :  in  all  other  circumstances,  the  labour 
and  industry  of  men  must  concur  with  the  favour  and  assistance  of 
Heaven ;  for  we  cannot  expect  Providence  to  act  alone  in  any  but 
unforeseen  contingencies.  As,  then,  in  every  thing  that  we  call 
chance,  we  evidently  discover  traces  of  the  wisdom,  goodness,  and 
justice  of  God,  it  is  manifest  that  chance  itself  is  subject  to  divine 
government ;  and  then  it  is  that  the  empire  of  Providence  is  most 
resplendent.  When  the  beauty,  the  order,  and  the  arrangement  of 
the  world  fill  us  with  astonishment  and  admiration,  we  conclude, 
without  hesitation,  that  an  infinitely  wise  Being  must  preside  over  it. 
What  a  much  more  powerful  reason  have  we  to  draw  the  same  con- 
clusion when  we  reflect  upon  the  great  events  that  are  produced  by 
accidents  which  no  human  wisdom  could  foresee  !  Have  we  not  a 
thousand  examples,  that  the  happiness  and  even  the  lives  of  men,  the 
fate  of  empires,  the  issue  of  battles,  the  revolutions  of  kingdoms,  and 
other  similar  events,  often  depend  upon  entirely  unforeseen  contin- 
gencies ?  An  unlooked-for  event  may  confound  projects  planned 
with  ability  and  concerted  with  prudence,  and  may  at  once  annihi- 
late the  most  formidable  power.  It  is  upon  a  firm  belief  in  the  saving 
eflSicacy  of  Providence  that  our  tranquillity  and  our  hope  are  founded. 
However  great  may  be  the  evils  wiiich  surround  us,  however  terrible 
the  dangers  that  threaten  us,  God  is  able  to  effect  our  deliverance  by 
a  thousand  ways  unknown  even  to  ourselves.  The  firm  persuasion 
of  this  all-consolatory  truth  ought  to  raise  in  our  minds  the  greatest 
reverence  for  our  God,  and  induce  us  to  seek  him  in  all  things,  always 
lifting  up  our  hearts  to  him,  and  placing  in  him  all  our  confidence. 
The  belief  in  this  truth,  also,  ought  to  repress  our  pride,  and  particu- 
larly to  inspire  those  who  are  in  exalted  situations  with  that  religious 
awe  which  they  should  have  for  the  Supreme  Being,  who  possesses 
so  many  means  unknown  to  them,  by  which  he  can  shake  or  over- 
turn that  slender  fabric  of  happiness  which  their  arrogance  has  reared. 
Nothing  is  better  calculated,  than  the  consideration  of  this  truth,  to 
banish  from  our  souls  all  distrust,  anxiety,  and  discouragement,  and 
to  raise  in  us  a  pure  and  holy  joy.  *  The  infinitely  wise  Being  has  a 
thousand  wonderful  ways  unknown  to  us,  ways  of  mercy  and  love  ; 
and  all  his  dispensations  are  regulated  by  justice  and  wisdom.  He 
wills  the  happiness  of  his  children,  and  nothing  can  prevent  it ;  he 
commands,  and  nature  obeys  his  voice.' 


NOVEMBER  XXVIII. 

THE   MAJESTY  OF  GOD. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  form  any  idea  of  God  at  all  worthy  of 
his  majesty  and  greatness.  The  attempt,  however,  should  be  made ; 
nothing  contributes  more  to  dignify  and  improve  our  nature  than  such 


444 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


reflections.  It  is  true,  that  it  is  as  impossible  for  us  to  comprehend 
him  perfectly,  as  it  is  for  us  to  hold  the  sea  in  the  hollow  of  our  hand, 
or  to  grasp  the  heavens  with  a  span.  He  is  at  once  known  to  us, 
and  concealed  from  us  ;  he  is  near  us,  and  at  the  same  time  infinitely 
above  us :  known  and  near,  with  respect  to  his  existence,  though 
infinitely  elevated  and  hidden  as  to  his  nature,  perfections,  and  decrees. 
On  this  account  it  is  our  duty  to  apply  ourselves  to  know  his  great- 
ness, as  it  is  essential  for  us  to  conceive  those  sentiments  of  venera- 
tion which  are  justly  due  to  him.  To  assist  our  weakness  in  this 
respect,  let  us  compare  God  with  what  men  esteem  and  admire  the 
most,  and  we  shall  find  that  he  is  infinitely  above  all. 

We  may  admire  the  power  of  kings,  and  be  filled  with  astonish- 
ment when  we  hear  of  their  conquering  vast  empires,  taking  cities 
and  fortresses,  erecting  superb  buildings,  and  making  the  happiness 
or  the  misery  of  whole  nations.  But  if  we  are  struck  with  the  power  of 
a  man  who  is  but  dust  and  ashes,  and  whose  exploits  are  due  to  other 
agents,  how  much  ought  we  to  admire  the  power  of  God,  who  has 
established  the  earth,  and  founded  the  heavens,  who  rules  the  sun, 
and  sustains  the  immense  fabric  of  the  universe!  We  are  justly 
astonished  with  the  heat  of  the  sun,  with  the  impetuosity  of  the 
winds,  the  ropiring  of  the  sea,  the  rolling  of  the  thunder,  and  the 
rapidity  of  the  lightning ;  but  it  is  God  who  imparteth  to  the  sun  his 
fires,  who  thunders  in  the  clouds,  who  uses  the  winds  as  his  messen- 
gers, and  sendeth  forth  the  red  lightnings  as  his  ministers,  and  who 
raises  and  calms  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

We  justly  respect  those  who  have  distinguished  themselves  by  the 
extent  of  their  genius,  and  the  depth  of  their  knowledge  ;  but  what 
is  the  understanding,  what  are  all  the  faculties  of  men,  compared 
with  the  wisdom  of  that  Great  Being,  whose  eyes  penetrate  through 
every  covering,  who  numbers  the  stars  of  heaven  and  the  sand  of  the 
sea,  who  knows  the  destination  of  each  drop  of  rain  as  it  falls  from 
the  clouds,  and  who  at  once  sees  and  comprehends  the  past,  the  pre- 
sent, and  the  future ;  all  of  whose  works  are  infinitely  great,  surpass- 
ing human  conception. 

We  may  be  dazzled  with  the  splendour  of  riches,  and  admire  the 
gorgeous  palaces  of  kings,  the  magnificence  of  their  furniture,  the 
richness  of  their  garments,  the  beauty  of  their  apartments,  and  the 
lustre  of  gold,  silver,  and  jewels,  that  glitter  in  lavish  profusion  :  but 
how  pitiful  and  contemptible  are  all  these,  compared  with  the  riches 
of  God,  whose  throne  is  heaven,  and  whose  footstool  is  the  earth  ! 
He  has  formed  dwellings  for  all  creatures,  and  established  provisions 
for  all  men  and  all  animals;  his  meadows  nourish  the  cattle,  and  all 
that  is  useful  or  excellent  in  the  world  is  drawn  from  his  treasures. 
Life,  health,  riches,  glory,  honour,  and  pleasure,  are  all  in  his  hand, 
and  he  distributes  them  to  whom  he  pleases. 

We  respect  the  princes  of  the  earth,  who  command  numerous  sub- 
jects, and  rule  over  several  countries ;  but  what  is  that  speck  of 
earth  which  is  subjected  to  them,  compared  with  the  empire  of  the 
universe,  of  which  our  whole  globe  is  but  a  small  province  ;  an  era- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


445 


pire  that  extends  over  all  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  their  inhabitants ; 
an  empire  whose  Lord  has  all  the  sovereigns  of  the  universe  for  his 
servants,  and  around  his  throne  the  cherubim  and  seraphim,  ever 
ready,  with  wings  outspread,  to  execute  his  orders  1 

We  judge  of  the  greatness  of  men  by  their  actions  and  their  works; 
and  we  celebrate  kings  who  have  built  cities  and  constructed  palaces, 
who  have  governed  well  their  states,  and  have  successfully  executed 
great  enterprises  :  but  what  are  the  works  of  the  Most  High  ]  The 
creation  of  the  universe;  the  preservation  of  so  many  creatures;  the 
wise  and  just  government  of  innumerable  worlds ;  the  redemption 
of  mankind  ;  the  reward  of  the  good,  and  the  chastisement  of  the 
wicked. 

Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Lord  ?  Thou  art  great,  thy  name  is  cele- 
brated ;  and  t  y  works  proclaim  thy  grandeur !  Should  not  a  reli- 
gious awe  possess  our  souls  at  the  thought  of  the  presence  of  the 
world's  Eternal  Ruler,  the  God  whose  glory  ever  encompasses  us  1 
The  splendour  of  the  stars  fades  in  the  presence  of  the  sun  ;  and  so 
all  the  glory,  wisdom,  and  power,  all  the  riches  and  honours  of  the 
world,  are  eclipsed  by  the  radiance  and  majesty  of  God  !  Our  soul  is 
exalted  and  enlarged  by  meditating  upon  the  greatness  and  excel- 
lences of  the  Most  High,  and  all  our  spiritual  faculties  are  rejoiced  by 
such  sublime  meditations  ;  and  our  hearts  penetrated  with  joy,  vene- 
ration, and  gratitude,  when,  in  a  holy  transport,  we  represent  to  our 
minds  the  Being  of  beings,  the  Eternal,  Almighty,  and  Infinite  God ; 
to  whom  be  all  glory,  honour,  and  praise,  for  ever  and  ever  ! 


NOVEMBER  XXIX. 

MOTIVES  FOR  CONTENTMENT. 

Let  our  souls  enjoy  sweet  contentment,  for  God  is  good;  mercy  and 
love  shine  through  all  his  works.  Let  us  contemplate  his  mighty  deeds : 
the  world,  and  all  that  it  contains,  announce  his  glory;  all  that  he  has 
created  is  worthy  of  him  alone. 

The  heavens  and  the  earth  are  proofs  of  his  power ;  the  sun  who 
rules  the  day,  and  the  moon  who  rules  the  night ;  every  thing  en- 
dowed with  life  and  motion  exalt  the  mighty  God. 

Consider  the  works  of  his  hands  :  men  and  brutes  show  his  infinite 
power ;  even  the  smallest  objects,  the  blade  of  grass,  and  the  grain 
of  dust,  teach  us  the  knowledge  of  the  Most  High. 

Ask  the  mountains  and  the  valleys,  the  heights  of  heaven  and  the 
depths  of  the  ocean,  the  winds  and  the  storms,  the  reptiles  that  crawl 
in  the  dust,  and  they  will  proclaim  his  infinite  wisdom  and  boundless 
power. 

How  shall  we  celebrate  and  adore  that  God  who  has  given  us  life 
and  being '?  Our  bodies,  and  the  souls  which  animate  them,  are  the 

38 


446 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


gifts  of  his  hand  ;  and  let  us,  whilst  we  have  a  being,  bless  his  holy 
name. 

Objects  of  his  guardian  care  during  the  day  :  each  morning  wit- 
nesses that  he  has  watched  over  us  through  the  darkness  of  the  night. 
Every  moment  that  glides  away  invites  us  to  bless  him  who  is  the 
hght  and  strength  of  our  life. 

Are  we  in  adversity,  and  oppressed  by  trials  and  sufferings;  scarcely 
have  we  felt  the  weight  of  our  affliction,  when  our  m.erciful  Protector 
enables  us  to  support  them ;  his  victorious  arm  is  stretched  forth  to 
assist  us,  and  all  our  difficulties  vanish. 

Let  us  never  forget  this,  nor  indulge  the  fear  of  being  abandoned 
by  God,  who  loves  all  his  children  ;  and  may  we  ever  submit  to  his 
holy  will,  and  bless  all  his  dispensations;  convinced  that  he  will  ac- 
complish his  merciful  designs,  for  he  is  omnipotent  in  counsel,  and 
abundant  in  means. 


NOVEMBER  XXX. 

GRATEFUL  REMEMBRANCE  OF  PAST  MERCIES. 

Almighty  God !  thou  art  the  common  Father  of  all  the  genera- 
tions which  dwell  on  the  earth ;  thou  art  my  Father  also.  May  1 
feel  myself  entirely  dependent  upon  thee,  not  only  for  my  existence, 
but  also  for  every  thing  that  1  possess.  I  bless  thee,  and  give  thee 
thanks,  for  the  life  which  thou  hast  given  me,  and  for  all  the  mercies 
which  thou  hast  granted  me  to  the  present  hour. 

I  bless  thy  providence  for  the  endearing  ties  of  my  family,  and  for 
all  the  comforts  and  pleasures  that  I  enjoy  in  domestic  life. 

1  am  thankful  for  the  life  and  h3alth  which  I  enjoy,  for  the  abun- 
dance of  my  food  and  raiment,  and  for  the  conveniences  of  my  habi- 
tation. I  thank  thee  for  the  success  thou  hast  given  to  my  enterprises, 
and  the  labours  of  my  vocation  ;  for  all  the  blessings  that  thy  boun- 
tiful hand  has  daily  conferred  upon  me,  and  for  every  thing  that  has 
contributed  to  my  preservation  and  happiness. 

I  ought  also  to  bless  thee,  because,  when  thou  at  any  time  didst 
permit  adversity  and  affliction  to  visit  my  habitation,  thou  didst  not 
leave  me  hopeless,  or  without  consolation.  In  the  midst  of  my  trials, 
and  the  just  chastisements  w^iich,  for  my  good,  thou  hast  sometimes 
been  pleased  to  inflict  upon  me,  thou  didst  not  abandon  me  ;  but  didst 
soften  and  render  mild  the  corrections  which  I  suffered,  and  didst 
vouchsafe  me  thy  favour  and  heavenly  regard.  Thy  paternal  hand 
has  always  guided  me,  and  thou  hast  rejoiced  to  do  me  good. 

From  the  experience  which  I  have  had  of  thy  goodness,  I  will  feel 
a  confidence  in  thee,  and  commit  into  thy  hands  all  my  concerns  and 
interests  ;  and  I  will  dare  to  hope,  that  long  as  it  shall  please  thee  to 
continue  the  thread  of  my  life,  thou  wilt  continue  to  watch  over  me, 
and,  as  far  as  thou  deemest  it  consistent  with  my  real  happiness,  wilt 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


447 


preserve  me  from  all  the  evils  and  accidents  that  would  disturb  my 
repose.  Grant,  then,  O  Lord,  that  I  may  enjoy  vi^ith  a  wise  and  grate- 
ful heart  the  favours  that  thou  bestowest  upon  me  ;  that  in  prosperity 
my  soul  may  aspire  after  thee,  the  Author  of  all  good  ;  and  that  if 
thou  hast  decreed,  in  the  impenetrable  counsels  of  thy  wisdom,  that  I 
should  experience  affliction  and  disappointment,  I  may  submit  with 
unfeigned  resignation  to  all  thy  dispensations  ;  and  glorify  thee  to  the 
utmost  of  my  ability,  whether  basking  in  the  sunshine  of  prosperity, 
or  stemming  the  rough  tide  of  adversity. 


DECEMBER  1. 

HYMN  OF  PRAISE. 

When  I  reflect  upon  the  unmerited  mercies  which  I  have  received 
from  thy  hands,  O  Lord,  my  soul  is  astonished,  and  lost  in  admiration. 
Overwhelmed  with  thy  goodness,  my  heart  swells  with  joy,  and  I  am 
unable  to  express  the  transports  of  my  gratitude. 

While  yet  asleep,  unconscious  of  life  in  my  mother's  womb,  thy 
guardian  cares  watched  over  me  ;  and  when  I  first  drew  my  breath, 
thou  didst  incline  thy  ear  to  my  infant  cries  ;  my  tender  lips  could 
not  then  utter  thy  praises,  and  thou  didst  condescend  to  listen  to  my 
feeble  accents,  before  they  were  formed  into  prayers  ;  and  when,  in 
the  thoughtlessness  of  youth,  my  steps  wandered  far  from  the  path  of 
virtue,  thy  merciful  goodness  recalled  me  to  a  sense  of  duty. 

In  danger,  and  in  distress,  thou  hast  ever  been  my  rock  and  my 
fortress ;  and  hast  often  preserved  me  from  the  snares  of  vice,  the 
most  dangerous  of  all  enemies. 

When  death  hovered  over  me,  and  a  morbid  paleness  was  diffused 
over  my  countenance,  thou  didst  rekindle  the  almost  expiring  lamp  of 
life  ;  and  when  the  recollection  of  my  past  sins  imbittered  my  soul, 
thy  grace  afforded  me  consolation  and  support. 

Blessed  be  thy  name,  who  hast  loved  me  so  well ;  who  hast  be- 
stowed on  me  the  sweets  of  friendship,  and  the  ties  of  affection? 
Thou  hast  granted  me  the  greatest  blessing  that  the  mind  of  man  can 
conceive,  for  w^hich  this  heart,  entirely  consecrated  to  thee,  desires  to 
exalt  thee  :  the  greatest  good  which  can  be  enjoyed  on  earth,  gracious 
God,  thou  hast  given  me — the  permission  to  approach  thy  throne,  to 
celebrate  thy  mercy,  and  to  glorify  thy  adorable  name. 

In  my  fears  and  in  my  distresses,  in  my  dangers  and  tribulations,  I 
will  confide  in  thy  mercy  alone ;  and,  supported  by  thee,  death  will 
lose  all  its  terrors. 

When  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  mighty  noise,  and  the 
fabric  of  the  universe  be  dissolved,  I  will  rise  above  the  ruins,  and 
bless  the  omnipotent  arm  that  upheld  me,  amid  the  crash  of  a  wrecked 
World.    O  God,  eternity  itself  is  too  short  to  utter  all  thy  praise  ! 


448 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


DECEMBER  II. 

ERA  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  THE  WORLD,  AND  OF  THE  HUMAN  RACE. 

If  we  fix  the  epoch  of  the  creation  of  the  world  according  to  the 
testimony  of  the  sacred  writings,  it  has  scarcely  subsisted  six  thousand 
years.  Those  who  suppose  it  to  be  of  much  more  ancient  date,  are 
contradicted  by  reason  and  the  monuments  of  history,  which  have 
escaped  the  dilapidations  of  time.  The  history  of  tlie  human  race 
does  not  go  farther  back  than  that  which  has  been  transmitted  to  us 
by  Moses,  for  all  else  that  has  been  said  respecting  the  origin  of  an- 
cient nations  has  been  advanced  without  proofs  ;  neither  does  it  extend 
beyond  the  deluge.  As  to  the  chronological  books  of  the  Chinese, 
they  are  evidently  filled  with  falsities.  The  Phenicians  have  no  his- 
torian more  ancient  than  Sanchoniatho,  who  lived  after  Moses.  The 
Egyptian  history  does  not  go  beyond  Ham,  the  son  of  Noah  ;  and  the 
books  of  the  Jewish  lawgiver  remain  to  be  the  most  ancient,  as  well 
as  authentic,  of  all  the  monuments  of  antiquity. 

If  we  consider  the  arts  invented  by  men,  we  shall  find  that  few  of 
them  have  been  known  more  than  two  or  three  thousand  years.  Man, 
whose  nature  and  reason  give  him  an  aptitude  for  the  arts  and  sciences, 
is  also  stimulated  to  it  by  necessity,  and  the  desire  of  obtaining  con- 
veniences and  pleasures,  and  by  his  vanity  and  ambition,  as  well  as 
by  luxury,  the  child  of  abundance,  which  creates  new  wants.  This 
has  been  evident  among  men  in  all  ages.  History  informs  us  of  the 
epoch  when  men  had  scarcely  invented  the  most  necessary  arts,  and 
when  those  which  were  known  were  very  imperfectly  understood,  and 
when  they  were  ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  the  sciences.  Four 
thousand  years  ago,  men  were  in  a  great  state  of  ignorance  with  re- 
spect to  most  subjects;  and  if  we  calculate  the  progress  that  they  have 
made  since  that  period,  and  then  go  back  to  the  remotest  ages,  we 
may,  with  some  degree  of  certainty,  determine  the  epoch  when  men 
knew  nothing,  or,  in  other  words,  that  of  the  birth  of  the  human  race. 
If  their  existence  was  to  be  dated  farther  back,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  that  the  most  useful  and  necessary  arts  should  have  re- 
mained unknown,  during  along  series  of  ages.  On  the  contrary,  all 
that  the  human  mind  was  capable  of  discovering  would  have  been 
long  since  known  ;  and  from  this  circumstance  we  must  then  neces- 
sarily conclude,  that  the  origin  of  the  human  race  could  have  had  no 
other  era  than  that  assigned  by  Moses  in  his  history  of  the  creation. 
It  is  absurd  to  suppose,  that  men,  during  the  space  of  so  many  thou- 
sand years,  should  have  remained  enveloped  in  darkness,  and  plunged 
in  a  lethargic  stupor,  from  which  they  suddenly  awoke,  and  all  at 
once  invented  different  arts,  and  procured  for  themselves  all  the  com- 
forts and  pleasures  of  hfe. 

It  may  be  also  remarked,  that  the  greatest  part  of  Europe  was  for- 
merly covered  by  immense  forests,  very  few  cities,  towns,  or  villages, 
then  existing ;  consequently,  the  number  of  its  inhabitants  must  then 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


449 


have  been  much  less  than  at  present.  Germany,  for  instance,  was 
one  continued  forest ;  from  which  we  may  judge  of  the  paucity  of  its 
inhabitants.  Men,  at  first,  could  only  cultivate  the  open  spaces  which 
were  found  in  certain  parts  of  the  forest ;  they  had  no  private  property 
in  land,  and  yearly  changed  their  abode.  In  all  Germany  there  was 
not  a  single  fruit-tree  ;  acorns  alone  were  produced.  If  we  wish  to 
draw  a  parallel  between  the  inhabitants  of  ancient,  and  those  of 
modern  Germany,  we  must  separate  those  which  dwell  in  cities  and 
towns  ;  pay  attention  to  the  numerous  colonies  that  have  emigrated 
from  Germany  ;  observe  that  most  of  the  forests  being  now  cut  down, 
and  the  space  they  occupied  converted  into  arable  land,  ancient  Ger- 
many would  then  be  found  to  contain  scarcely  a  tenth  part  of  the 
cultivated  ground  that  it  now  does,  and,  consequently,  but  a  tenth 
part  as  many  inhabitants.  How  many  millions  of  men  were  there  less 
at  that  period  than  there  are  at  present !  and  how  abundantly  must 
they  have  multiplied  since  !  Yet  the  forests  which  extend  from  Ger- 
many to  the  north-east  of  Asia,  and  those  still  remaining  in  Africa 
and  America,  prove  that  our  globe  is  not  near  so  well  peopled  as  it 
might  be.  The  farther  we  penetrate  into  the  remote  ages  of  antiquity, 
the  less  shall  we  find  the  earth  peopled  and  cultivated,  till  we  reach 
the  epoch  of  the  origin  of  the  human  race. 

It  is,  therefore,  impossible  that  our  globe  should  have  been  eternal ; 
for  if  it  had,  it  must  have  been  as  well  peopled  from  time  immemorial 
as  it  is  at  present. 


DECEMBER  III. 

THE  USE  OF  WOOD. 

Though  we  derive  very  great  and  numerous  advantages  from  every 
part  of  a  tree,  yet  none  of  them  cafi  be  compared  to  those  which  the 
wood  itself  affords  us.  Such  is  its  abundance,  that  we  might  say 
God  provides  us  every  day  with  a  fresh. supply,  that  we  might  never 
be  destitute  of  so  useful  a  substance.  It  answers  every  purpose  for 
which  we  design  it ;  is  pliant  enough  to  be  susceptible  of  any  form 
in  which  we  mean  to  mould  it ;  firm  enough  to  retain  any  shape  it 
has  once  received ;  and  being  easily  sawed,  polished,  and  bent,  we 
procure  from  it  many  conveniences  and  ornaments.  These,  however, 
are  far  from  being  all  the  advantages  which  we  derive  from  wood,  as 
most  of  them  only  contribute  to  the  purposes  of  convenience  or  luxury. 
We  have  more  indispensable  necessities,  which  we  could  not  supply 
if  the  wood  did  not  possess  a  suitable  degree  of  thickness  and  solidity. 
Nature,  it  is  true,  furnishes  us  with  many  hard  compact  substances  ; 
we  have  stones  and  marble,  which  we  know  how  to  adapt  to  different 
purposes.  But  it  is  troublesome,  as  well  as  expensive,  to  extract  these 
from  their  quarries,  to  carry  them  to  a  distance,  and  to  work  them  ; 
whilst  with  much  less  expense,  and  less  trouble,  we  can  procure  the 
38*  3  G 


450 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


largest  trees.  Wooden  piles,  several  feet  long",  forced  into  the  earth, 
form  a  safe  foundation  for  walls,  which,  without  this  precaution,  would 
sink  into  the  clay,  or  fall  where  the  ground  was  sandy.  They  also 
support  the  most  heavy  and  extensive  buildings  ;  and  other  pieces  of 
wood  sustain  the  stone-work,  and  the  weight  of  the  tiles,  lead,  &c. 
which  compose  the  roofs  of  our  houses. 

Wood,  in  many  provinces,  is  used  as  the  chief  article  of  fuel;  and 
thus  cheers  the  shivering  natives  in  the  long  nights  of  winter,  when 
the  cold  mists,  and  piercing  north  winds,  would  otherwise  have  chilled 
their  blood.  How  necessary,  then,  is  w^ood,  as  a  part  of  the  creation  ! 
and  we  now  see  that  it  was  for  the  wisest  purposes  that  the  Author 
of  the  universe  covered  so  large  a  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  with 
forests. 

Whilst  reflecting  on  the  comfort  and  warmth  \vhich  wood  affords 
us  at  this  season  of  the  year,  we  may  thus  address  ourselves  to  God  : 
*  Compassionate  Father  !  this  also  is  one  of  thy  blessings  :  I  receive 
it  from  thee  with  a  lively  sense  of  gratitude  ;  and  acknowledge  thy 
providential  care  in  providing  for  me  the  grateful  warmth  which 
cheers  and  invigorates  my  frozen  limbs.  Whether  I  endure  the 
scorching  days  of  summer,  or  feel  the  winter's  piercing  cold ;  in  the 
open  air,  or  in  a  warm  apartment,  thou  art  ever  present,  and  ever  my 
benefactor.  Let  me  not  forget  thy  mercies,  nor  regard  even  the  fire- 
wood with  indifference  ;  but  as  in  each  season  of 'the  year  I  receive 
peculiar  marks  of  thy  goodness,  may  I  never  cease  to  bless  and  to  glo- 
rify thee,  and  exalt  thy  beneficence.' 


DECEMBER  IV. 

REMARKABLE  PROPERTIES  OF  CERTAIN  ANIMALS. 

We  daily  enjoy  a  variety  of  advantages  which  we  derive  from  ani- 
mals. The  Creator  has  given  us  some  that  live  domesticated  with 
us,  and  others  for  our  sustenance ;  and  all,  in  one  w^ay  or  another, 
are  designed  to  minister  to  our  necessities  and  pleasures. 

The  dog,  independently  of  the  beauty  of  his  form,  his  strength, 
speed,  and  vivacity,  has  all  those  qualities  which  endear  him  to  man. 
He  possesses  great  sensibihty,  is  much  improved  by  education,  and  is 
every  w^ay  w^orthy  of  our  affection  and  regard.  He  knows  how  to 
promote  our  designs,  watch  for  our  safety,  defend  and  caress  us  by 
turns  ;  and  by  his  assiduous  services,  and  generous  disposition,  ren- 
ders himself  highly  useful  and  agreeable  to  his  masters.  Without 
the  assistance  of  this  faithful  servant  w^e  could  not  so  easily  subjugate 
other  animals.  In  short,  it  seems  as  if  God  liad  given  the  dog  to  man 
for  a  companion  and  a  guard.  This  very  interesting  animal  merits 
still  farther  attention  from  his  performing  many  actions,  which  prove 
that  he  is  not  merely  a  machine,  but  possesses  some  principle  of  intel- 
ligence.   How  expressive  are  the  signs  by  which  he  manifests  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


451 


joy  he  feels  upon  his  master's  return  1  And  how  different  again  are 
those  that  he  discovers  upon  the  approach  of  a  thief  or  an  enemy,  or 
when  in  full  cry  he  pursues  the  hare,  as  she  bounds  over  the  plains  ! 

The  advantages  which  we  derive  from  the  sheep  are  still  more 
considerable,  though  it  has  not  the  gift  of  pleasing  like  the  dog. 
Every  part  of  the  sheep  is  useful  to  us  ;  its  milk,  wool,  flesh,  and  even 
its  bones.  A  singular  property  observable  in  this  animal  is  that  of  its 
chewing  the  cud,  or  ruminating  :  it  at  first  swallows  its  food  hastily, 
without  sufficiently  masticating  it ;  and  afterwards  can  again  bring  it 
into  its  mouth,  re-chew,  and  swallow  it  a  second  time.  This  animal 
has  but  one  row  of  teeth,  which  defect,  however,  is  remedied  by  its 
having  four  stomachs.  In  the  first  of  these,  which  is  called  the  paunch, 
and  is  very  large,  the  food  is  softened  and  moistened ;  in  the  second, 
named  the  cap,  or  hood,  and  which  is  much  smaller,  the  food  is  far- 
ther macerated,  and  digestion  begins  to  make  some  progress  ;  from  this 
it  passes  into  the  third  stomach,  called  the  millet,  wehere  it  is  retained 
till  it  is  sufficiently  dissolved  ;  and  digestion  is  finally  perfected  in  the 
fourth  stomach,  called  the  rennet  bag,  in  which  the  food  changes  its 
colour,  and  becomes  white  like  milk,  though  in  the  third  stomach  it 
was  green. 

The  hare  possesses  instinct  for  its  own  preservation,  and  sagacity 
to  enable  it  to  escape  from  its  enemies  ;  it  makes  its  own  form  or  bed, 
and  in  winter  chooses  those  places  which  have  a  southern  aspect, 
while  in  summer  it  prefers  the  north.  It  conceals  itself  in  furrows,  or 
by  the  side  of  hillocks,  that  nearly  resemble  the  colour  of  its  skin. 
When  pursued  by  dogs,  it  darts  rapidly  forwards,  then  turns,  and 
returns  upon  its  steps,  throws  itself  into  some  secret  place,  and  after 
many  leaps  and  doublings,  hides  itself  in  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  or  in 
some  bush.  It  is  cunning  enough  continually  to  change  its  place  of 
abode  as  circumstances  may  urge. 

The  stag  is  still  more  wily  and  subtle  than  the  hare,  and  often  leads 
the  huntsmen  a  much  more  arduous  chase.  The  lightness  and  ele- 
gance of  its  slender  and  well-proportioned  form  ;  its  branching  horns, 
serving  both  for  ornament  and  defence  ;  its  size,  speed,  and  strength, 
distinguish  it  from  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  wood,  the  solitude  of 
which  it  seems  formed  to  embellish  and  to  enliven. 

When  we  reflect  on  these  and  innumerable  other  animals,  we  find 
more  and  more  cause  to  acknowledge  the  goodness  with  which  the 
Almighty  provides  for  our  support,  our  convenience,  and  our  pleasures. 
Our  globe  is  the  habitation  of  innumerable  animals,  which  are  under 
our  command,  and  exist  for  our  comfort  and  sustenance.  And  if  the 
soil  of  the  earth  is  so  diversified,  it  is  only  that  a  greater  number  of 
animated  beings  may  find  their  provisions  adapted  to  their  different 
natures.  All  kinds  of  soil,  good  as  well  as  bad,  sandy  or  marshy, 
stony  or  moist,  from  the  banks  of  rivers  to  the  summits  of  mountains, 
are  peopled  with  living  creatures,  which  in  one  shape  or  another  are 
indispensable  to  us.  There  is  no  place,  however  steril  it  may  appear, 
that  does  not  support  some  species  of  animals  that  are  useful  to  us. 
And  shall  not  man,  thus  indebted  to  the  Father  of  mercy,  acknow- 


iß2 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


ledge  his  goodness,  and  be  grateful  for  his  favours  ?  Can  he  remain 
insensible  to  the  many  blessings  he  daily  receives,  or  pass  over  with 
inattention  those  gifts  of  nature  which  he  enjoys  ? 


DECEMBER  V. 

FORMATION  OF  SNOW. 

Snow  is  a  species  of  hoar-frost ;  it  differs,  however,  in  this  particular, 
that  the  hoar-frost  falls  in  the  form  of  dew,  upon  the  surface  of  certain 
cold  bodies  which  attract  its  moisture,  and  to  which  it  adheres;  whilst 
the  snow,  before  it  falls,  is  already  formed  in  the  upper  region  of  the 
atmosphere  by  congealed  vapours,  which  observe  the  same  laws  in 
falling  as  fogs,  dew,  and  rain.  The  air  is  often  very  cold,  and  this 
may  be  increased  to  a  considerable  degree  by  the  density  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, and  the  accession  of  acid  vapours.  It  is  then  very  easy  to 
understand  how  the  aqueous  particles  become  congealed.  What,  per- 
haps, contributes  the  most  to  give  this  freezing  property  to  the  air  are 
the  clouds  ;  and  generally  every  snowy  day  is  also  cloudy  ;  and  the 
thicker  the  clouds,  are,  the  more  they  interrupt  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
and  prevent  their  action  ;  whence  must  naturally  result  a  degree  oif 
cold  great  enough  to  make  the  vapours  lose  their  fluidity,  and  convert 
them  into  snow.  But,  upon  the  same  principle,  ought  it  not  some- 
times to  snow  in  summer  ?  No  doubt  this  may  happen,  and  snow 
may  really  be  formed  in  the  superior  regions  of  the  atmosphere  ;  but 
the  cold  in  that  season  is  never  sufficiently  strong  to  counterbalance 
the  effects  of  heat  reflected  from  the  earth,  which  melts  the  congealed 
vapours  as  they  approach  the  lower  regions  of  the  atmosphere ;  con- 
sequently they  cannot  then  appear  in  the  form  of  snow.  This  is  far 
from  being  the  case  in  winter  ;  as  it  is  then  so  cold  in  the  lower 
regions  of  the  atmosphere,  and  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  that  the 
frozen  vapours  in  falling  can  no  longer  receive  a  sufficient  degree  of 
heat  to  melt  them. 

It  is  a  pleasing  sight  to  contemplate  the  flakes  of  snow  as  they  fall ; 
in  a  few  moments  covering  the  whole  surface  of  the  earth,  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach  ;  and  it  admirably  justifies  what  was  said  by  the  pious 
Brookes,  when  he  told  us  that  *  even  snow  has  its  charms,  and  winter 
its  sweets.  Pure  and  innocent  pleasures  may  be  enjoyed  by  all  men, 
except  those  who,  for  want  of  cultivating  their  faculties,  are  become 
incapable  of  reflecting,  and  never  regard  the  works  of  God.' 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


45$ 


DECEMBER  VI. 

WINTER  PLANTS. 

It  is  wrong  to  suppose  that  winter  is  generally  destructive  to  plants 
and  trees.  So  far  from  it,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  variations 
of  temperature  contribute  materially  to  the  growth  and  propagation 
of  vegetables.  In  very  warm  chmates  there  are  immense  deserts,  that 
would  be  much  more  steril  if  cold  did  not  sometimes  succeed  to  the 
burning  heats.  And  winter,  far  from  being  prejudicial  to  the  earth's 
fertility,  promotes  it.  There  are  plants  which  thrive  in  the  coldest 
countries,  notwithstanding  the  ice  and  snow.  Many  trees,  as  firs, 
pines,  junipers,  cedars,  the  larch,  and  the  box,  flourish  in  winter  as  in 
other  seasons.  Houseleek,  pepperwort,  sage,  marjoram,  thyme, 
lavender,  and  wormwood,  with  many  similar  plants,  preserve  their 
verdure  during  the  winter.  There  are  even  some  flowers  that  spring 
up  under  the  snow.  The  single  anemone,  the  hellebore,  the  winter 
hyacinth  and  narcissus,  the  snowdrop,  and  various  species  of  mosses, 
flourish,  and  are  in  flower  during  the  cold.  We  are  informed  by  bota- 
nists, that  the  plants  of  the  frigid  zone,  being  placed  in  greenhouses, 
could  not  bear  a  higher  degree  of  heat  than  thirty-eight  degrees; 
whilst  they  can  support  so  great  a  degree  of  cold  as  to  grow  during 
the  winter  in  Sweden,  as  well  as  most  parts  of  France,  Germany,  and 
Russia,  and  the  northern  provinces  of  China.  Vegetables  which  live 
in  very  cold  climates  cannot  bear  much  heat,  neither  can  those  that 
grow  on  the  tops  of  mountains.  Rocks,  and  mountains  capped  with 
snow  during  the  greatest  part  of  the  year,  have  yet  plants  peculiar  to 
them.  Many  vegetables  are  found  upon  the  rocks  of  Lapland,  which 
are  known  also  to  grow  on  the  Alps  and  the  Pyrenees,  on  Mount 
Olympus,  and  the  heights  of  Spitzbergen,  but  are  no  where  else  to  be 
met  with.  When  these  are  transplanted  into  gardens  they  grow  to 
a  considerable  height,  but  bear  very  little  fruit ;  and  few  of  the  plants 
which  thrive  in  the  northern  countries  will  come  to  a  state  of  perfec- 
tion without  snow. 

Thus  in  the  immense  garden  of  nature  there  is  no  soil  entirely 
barren,  from  the  finest  dust  to  the  hardest  rock ;  from  the  tropics  to 
the  frozen  regions  of  the  poles,  there  is  no  soil  which  does  not  produce 
plants  pecuhar  to  it ;  and  no  season  is  entirely  destitute  of  these 
beautiful  productions  of  nature,  fruits  or  flowers  continuing  all  the 
year  round. 

Grant,  merciful  Creator,  that  in  this  severe  season  thy  children 
may  not  forget  thy  paternal  regard,  nor  shut  their  eyes  to  the  bless- 
ings which  thou  hast  graciously  condescended  to  bestow  upon  them ; 
and  permit,  that,  if  thou  art  pleased  to  favour  them  with  a  length  of 
years,  they  may,  in  the  fulness  of  their  days,  and  the  maturity  of 
their  wisdom,  bring  forth  fruit  worthy  of  thee,  and  beneficial  to  their 
fellow  creatures. 


454 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


DECEMBER  VII. 

EXHORTATION  TO  REMEMBER  THE  POOR  DURING  THE  SEVERITY  OF 

THE  WINTER. 

You  who  now  are  sitting  at  your  ease  in  comfortable  apartments, 
cheered  by  the  fire's  genial  warmth,  whilst  the  north  wind  blusters 
round  your  dwellings,  reflect  upon  those  unfortunate  children  of 
poverty  who  are  suffering  the  accumulated  miseries  of  cold,  penury, 
and  disease.  '  Happy  is  the  condition  of  those  who,  in  this  rigorous 
season,  have  a  house  to  shelter  them,  and  clothes  to  keep  them  warm ; 
who  are  refreshed  by  wholesome  food,  and  recreated  by  the  juice  of 
the  vine ;  who,  reposing  on  downy  pillows,  enjoy  sweet  slumbers  and 
pleasing  dreams.  But  miserable  is  the  lot  of  those  to  whom  poverty 
denies  a  shelter;  who  have  no  home,  no  clothing  to  defend  their 
shivering  limbs  from  the  rude  blast ;  who  are  unable  to  make  their 
necessities  known,  and  have  not  a  friend  to  cheer  their  drooping  spirits 
or  sooth  their  afflicted  souls  with  the  consoling  language  of  hope/ 

I  wish  to  awaken  in  the  hearts  of  my  readers  a  sense  of  the  misei  ies 
to  which  the  low^est  classes  of  society  are  subjected.  I  call  upon  them 
to  regard  those  pitiable  objects,  w^hose  necessities,  too  importunate  to 
be  neglected,  oblige  them  to  intrude  themselves  upon  the  notice  of  the 
rich.  How  many  poor  creatures  are  seen  feebly  cravvhng  along  the 
streets,  their  countenances  so  haggard  by  wo,  hunger,  and  cold,  as 
scarcely  to  give  the  semblance  of  human  nature !  Men  venerable  in 
years,  with  scarcely  rags  sufficient  to  cover  them,  obliged  to  expose 
their  hoary  heads  to  tlie  severity  of  the  passing  storm,  whilst  they 
humbly  solicit  the  casual  charity  of  the  passenger  !  Others,  labouring 
under  disease,  destitute  of  sustenance  and  the  commonest  necessaries 
of  life,  stretched  on  some  miserable  pallet,  in  cellars  or  garrets,  where 
damp,  cold,  dirt,  and  vermin,  are  their  only  companions,  are  lingering 
out  their  hapless  moments  in  anguish  and  hopeless  despair  ! 

Winter,  by  increasing  all  the  w^ants  of  the  poor,  renders  our  charity 
to  them  doubly  necessary  and  indispensable.  It  is  a  time  when  nature 
herself  is  wild  and  destitute,  and  surely  by  distributing  our  benefactions 
seasonably  we  very  much  enhance  their  value.  If  we  have  been  en- 
riched by  the  fruits  of  summer  and  autumn,  is  it  not  that  we  may  be 
enabled  to  share  these  blessings  with  our  less  fortunate  brethren, 
whilst  nature  is  in  a  state  of  repose  ?  As  the  cold  increases,  so  should 
we  be  more  disposed  to  administer  unto  the  necessitous,  and  pour  into 
the  bosom  of  the  distressed  and  the  needy  a  portion  of  the  comforts 
arising  from  our  superabundance;  and  the  affluent  ought  particularly 
to  be  thankful  to  Divine  Providence,  for  having  it  in  their  power  to 
imitate  his  blessed  nature,  by  relieving  the  necessities  of  the  poor: 
and  what  nobler  end  can  be  answered  by  the  unequal  division  of  for- 
tune, than  that  of  the  wealthy  feeling  for,  and  relieving  the  miseries 
of,  their  less  favoured  brethren  ] 

Let  those,  then,  who  enjoy  the  gifts  of  fortune,  compassionate  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


455 


sufferings  of  the  poor,  and  learn  that  it  is  their  duty,  and  noblest  privi- 
lege, to  feed,  to  clothe,  to  warm,  and  to  console  the  distressed ;  to  dis- 
sipate their  heart-corroding  cares,  and  snatch  them  from  the  cold 
embrace  of  death.  Let  those  who  taste  the  sweets  of  independence, 
and  revel  in  the  pleasures  of  luxury,  impart  a  portion  of  their  super- 
fluous abundance  ;  and  let  those  whose  resources  are  less  exuberant 
still  give  a  part,  remembering  that  there  are  few  people  who  have  any 
title  to  respectability  of  character,  however  limited  their  income,  who 
have  it  not  in  their  power  to  do  some  good.  Let  us,  then,  enjoy  that 
delightful  gratification  which  the  noble  heart  ever  feels,  the  divine 
pleasure  of  relieving  the  wants  of  our  brethren,  of  tempering  to  them 
the  rigours  of  winter  and  the  keenness  of  adversity.  Who  can  deny 
himself  the  consolation  of  raising  a  fellow-being  from  the  bed  of  sick- 
ness and  the  depths  of  misery,  which  he  may  often  effect  with  ease,  by 
retrenching  some  unnecessary  ornament  in  dress,  or  curtailing  himself 
of  some  pleasurable  extravagance  1  And  what  more  grateful  incense 
can  be  offered  up  at  the  shrine  of  virtue,  than  beneficence  exerted  oq 
behalf  of  suffering  humanity,  by  a  victory  over  our  passions,  or  re- 
trenching  some  expense  in  luxury  or  vanity,  in  order  to  apply  it  for 
the  good  of  the  poor  ? 


DECEMBER  VIII. 

NATURE  IS  A  SCHOOL  FOR   THE  HEART: 

The  study  of  nature,  in  every  point  of  view,  is  profitable ;  and  it 
may  very  properly  be  termed,  a  school  for  the  heart,  since  it  clearly 
teaches  us  the  duties  we  owe  to  God,  to  ourselves,  and  to  our  neigh- 
bours. 

Can  any  thing  inspire  us  with  a  deeper  veneration  for  the  Supreme 
Being,  than  the  consideration  that  it  is  he  who  not  only  has  formed 
the  globe  of  the  earth  out  of  nothing,  but  who  has  suspended  it  in  the 
vast  regions  of  space,  with  all  the  creatures  which  it  contains ;  that 
it  is  his  all-powerful  hand  that  retains  the  sun  in  his  orb,  and  the  sea 
within  its  confines  1  And  can  we  humble  ourselves  too  much  in  the 
presence  of  a  Being  who  has  created  all  those  numberless  worlds 
which  revolve  around  us  1  What  diminutive  creatures  are  we  com- 
pared with  those  immense  globes  !  and  how  little  does  the  earth  and 
all  its  glory  appear,  when  considered  under  this  point  of  view  !  And 
do  we  not  shudder  at  the  very  thought  of  offending  that  God  whose 
boundless  power  is  everywhere  manifested,  and  who  in  an  instant  can 
wither  all  our  boasted  strength,  and  render  nought  our  most  brilliant 
enterprises  ] 

The  contemplation  of  nature  is  particularly  conducive  to  inspire  in 
us  the  emotions  of  love  and  gratitude  for  its  Divine  Author.  All 
nature  loudly  proclaims  the  consoling  truth,  that  God  is  love.  It  was 
love  that  induced  him  to  manifest  his  glory  by  the  creation  of  the 


456 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


world,  and  communicating  to  other  beings  a  portion  of  that  fehcity 
which  he  himself  enjoys.  For  this  purpose  he  created  the  universe, 
and  an  innumerable  multitude  of  creatures,  that  all,  from  the  first  link 
to  the  last,  from  the  archangel  down  to  the  lowest  reptile  that  crawls 
in  the  dust,  should  experience,  each  according  to  its  nature  and  capa- 
city, the  effects  of  divine  goodness.  Is  there  a  single  creature  exist- 
ing throughout  the  vast  regions  of  created  nature  which  does  not 
afford  proofs  of  this  heavenly  truth  ?  Man  more  especially  displays  its 
certainty  and  divine  operation,  inasmuch  as  the  Creator  has  not  only 
endowed  him  with  reason,  more  eminently  to  enjoy  the  blessings  he 
receives,  but  also  to  enable  him  to  feel  and  acknowledge  that  love 
which  is  the  source  of  all  the  favours  he  enjoys.  The  Creator  has 
given  him  dominion  over  all  animals,  to  convert  them  to  his  use  and 
conveniences  ;  and  for  him  he  has  made  the  earth  produce  her  fruits 
in  abundance.  And  ought  not  the  many  blessings  which  we  daily 
receive,  and  without  the  continuance  of  which  our  existence  must 
cease  ;  ought  not  the  disinterested  love  of  that  great  Being,  who  can 
derive  nothing  from  his  creatures,  and  whose  felicity  is  perfect,  to 
affect  our  hearts  in  the  tenderest  manner,  call  forth  our  gratitude,  and 
engage  us  with  irresistible  energy  to  return  the  love  of  our  beneficent 
Creator]  The  contemplation  of  the  universe,  and  the  perfections  of 
God  so  clearly  manifested,  should  naturally  increase  our  confidence  in 
his  power  and  mercy.  And  how  great  ought  our  tranquiUity  to  be, 
knowing  that  we  are  superintended  and  directed  by  a  Being,  the  proofs 
of  whose  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness,  we  have  continually  before  us 
in  every  part  of  the  creation!  What,  then,  in  the  hour  of  trial,  of 
diflSculty,  and  of  danger,  shall  discourage  us  from  offering  up  our 
prayers  to  him  who  has  stretched  out  the  heavens,  and  formed  all 
living  creatures  1 

Is  it  possible  that  base  and  selfish  principles  can  actuate  the  heart 
of  a  man,  who,  in  contemplating  nature,  every  where  discovers  traces 
of  the  infinite  beneficence  of  God,  w^ho  does  not  propose  less  the  feli- 
city of  every  individual  than  the  universal  good  of  the  whole  creation  1 
No  one  can,  for  a  moment,  reflect  upon  the  ways  of  Providence, 
without  being  sensibly  touched  by  his  goodness  and  tender  cares  for 
every  living  creature  ;  and  the  heart  which  is  not  incited  to  imitate 
this  universal  benevolence,  must  be  depraved  and  callous  to  a  degree 
that  makes  us  shrink  with  horror  at  the  thought  of  its  ever  existing 
in  a  human  breast.  Does  not  God  make  '  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil, 
as  on  the  good,  and  send  his  rain  on  the  just,  as  on  the  unjust  V  Let 
us,  then,  learn  charity  on  that  extensive  and  liberal  scale,  which 
knows  no  bounds  but  those  which  the  Omnipotent  has  set  to  the 
human  capacity.  If  we  desire  to  imitate  our  heavenly  Father,  we 
must  endeavour  to  raise  in  our  bosoms  a  spark  of  that  celestial  love 
whose  cheering  warmth  diff"uses  its  comforts  wherever  we  go  ;  and 
the  more  w^e  impart  of  it  to  others,  the  brighter  is  its  radiance,  ever 
inextinguishable. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


457 


DECEMBER  IX. 

THE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD  MANIFESTED  TO  MEN,  EVEN  IN  THOSE  THINGS 
WHICH  APPEAR  TO  BE  HURTFUL. 

It  is  very  usual  for  men  to  wish  that  they  were  not  exposed  to  any 
evils.  If  they  had  the  power  of  choosing,  and  could  regulate  at  plea- 
sure their  condition  in  life,  they  would  endeavour  to  obtain  one  that 
should  be  exempt  from  all  manner  of  trouble  and  affliction.  But  it  is 
a  question  whether  we  should  be  really  happy,  if  nothing  ever  hap- 
pened to  disturb  our  repose  and  well-being ;  or  if  the  course  of  our 
lives  was  to  continue  in  one  uniform  calm,  unruffled  by  the  vicissitudes 
of  disagreeable  occurrences.  This  question,  upon  the  decision  of  which 
much  of  our  tranquillity  in  this  state  of  existence  depends,  is  highly 
deserving  our  attention,  taking  care,  at  the  same  time,  to  avoid  the 
delusions  of  self-love. 

Should  w^e  really  be  happy  if  w^e  were  in  this  world  to  enjoy  unin- 
terrupted prosperity  ]  I  cannot  think  we  should.  Constant  prosperity 
would  soon  become  insipid,  and  disgust  would  convert  our  felicity  into 
absolute  misery.  On  the  contrary,  the  evils  we  sometimes  experi- 
ence enhance  the  value  of  our  blessings,  as  colours  are  relieved  by  the 
contrast  of  shades.  If  no  winter  preceded,  should  we  be  so  sensibly 
affected  by  the  pleasures  of  spring  ]  Without  illness,  could  we  justly 
appreciate  the  value  of  health ;  or  taste  the  sweets  of  repose  without 
toil  and  labour  ?  And  could  we  know  to  their  full  extent  the  peace 
and  consolation  of  a  good  conscience,  if  we  had  never  experienced  the 
trials  of  temptation,  or  the  pangs  of  remorse  ]  The  more  obstacles 
there  are  to  oppose  our  happiness,  the  greater  is  our  joy  when  we  have 
surmounted  them.  The  more  sensibly  we  feel  the  weight  of  misery 
and  oppression,  the  greater  is  our  happiness  when  we  are  delivered 
from  our  burden.  Besides,  if  the  misfortunes  of  which  we  so  much 
complain  did  not  sometimes  befall  us,  we  should  be  exposed  to  evils 
of  much  greater  importance.  If  we  lived  in  one  continued  round  of 
prosperity,  we  should  abandon  ourselves  to  pride,  luxury,  and  ambi- 
tion. If  we  never  knew  the  misery  of  dependence,  and  the  wretched- 
ness of  want,  we  should  have  no  stimulus  to  exertion,  nothing  to  rouse 
us  to  action;  no  one  would  exercise  his  talents,  or  cultivate  his  facul- 
ties, and  no  one  would  be  animated  with  zeal  for  the  pubHc  good.  If 
we  were  never  exposed  to  danger,  how  could  we  learn  prudence,  or 
experience  the  sentiments  of  compassion  for  those  whose  life  is  in 
danger  1  If  we  had  no  misfortunes  to  fear,  how  liable  should  we  be 
to  forget,  in  the  intoxication  of  prosperity,  our  gratitude  to  God,  charity 
for  our  neighbour,  and  all  the  great  duties  of  life  1  And  are  not  these 
virtues  and  noble  qualities  of  the  soul  infinitely  preferable  to  a  con- 
tinued succession  of  sensual  pleasures,  w^hich,  when  they  are  no  longer 
stimulating  by  their  novelty,  produce  satiety  and  disgust  1  '  He  w^ho 
continually  reposes  on  the  bosom  of  prosperity,  soon  becomes  weary  of 
exerting  himself  for  the  benefit  of  others,  and  incapable  of  any  great 
39  3  H 


458 


STURiM  S  REFLECTIONS. 


action ;  but  when  adversity  opens  his  eyes  to  his  real  state,  he  will 
return  to  wisdom,  activity,  and  virtue.' 

How  foolish  and  unjust  are  the  desires  of  men  !  They  wish  to  live 
quiet,  contented,  and  happ)^,  and  they  are  dissatisfied  with  the  means 
which  will  conduct  them  to  the  haven  of  their  desires.  During  the 
heat  of  sinnmer  we  sigh  for  cool  breezes,  and  yet  are  troubled  when 
we  see  the  storm  that  will  procure  them  begin  to  threaten.  Tiiunder 
purifies  the  air,  and  fertilizes  the  earth  ;  and  yet  when  it  awfully  roUg 
among  the  clouds,  we  complain  of  the  fear  that  possesseth  our  hearts. 
We  acknowledge  the  utility  of  coals,  sulphur,  and  minerals,  but  dis- 
like earthquakes.  We  are  desirous  that  there  should  be  no  contagious 
and  epidemic  disorders,  and  yet  complain  of  the  tempest  which,  by 
purifying  the  air  from  corruption,  takes  away  one  of  the  chief  causes 
producing  them.  We  wish  to  be  served  by  domestics,  and  yet  are 
unwilling  that  there  should  be  in  the  world  either  poverty  or  inequality 
of  rank.  In  short,  we  desue  to  have  every  end  accomplished,  with- 
out suffering  the  necessary  means. 

Acknowledge,  then,  O  man,  the  wise  and  beneficent  views  of  thy 
God,  even  when  he  permits  thee  to  be  tried  by  the  frequent  vicissi- 
tudes of  joy  and  of  sorrow,  of  happiness  and  of  misery.  Is  he  not  the 
arbiter  of  thy  lot,  the  Father,  of  whose  merciful  goodness  thou  must 
be  convinced  even  when  suffering  chastisement?  Art  thou  not  in  a 
world,  the  peculiar  characteristic  of  which  is  to  be  subject  to  continual 
changes  and  revolutions?  And  hast  thou  not  often  found,  that  what 
thy  ignorance  disposed  thee  to  regard  as  an  evil  has,  in  the  end,  contri- 
buted to  thy  happiness  ?  Let  us,  then,  receive  with  humble  resigna- 
tion those  afflictions  which  it  shall  please  the  Almighty  shall  be 
dispensed  unto  us.  They  will  only  appear  to  be  formidable  in  the 
beginning  ;  the  more  we  shall  be  exercised  by  them  the  more  sup- 
portable will  they  be,  and  the  more  shall  we  know  their  salutary 
effects.  If  in  adversity  we  are  full  of  faith,  patience,  and  hope,  we 
shall  have  cause  in  the  end  to  bless  God  for  his  trial  of  our  nature. 


DECEMBER  X. 

ACCIDENTAL  REVOLUTIONS  OF  OUR  GLOBE. 

Nature  of  herself  is  continually  producing  changes  upon  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  which  have  a  great  influence  upon  the  whole  globe. 
Many  ancient  monuments  prove  that  in  different  places  the  surface 
sinks  down  at  one  time  gradually,  at  another  suddenly.  The  wall 
that  the  Romans  built  in  Scotland,  in  the  second  centur}^,  quite  across 
the  wiiole  country,  is  now  almost  entirely  buried  under  ground,  and 
remains  of  it  are  frequently  discovered.  Mountains,  those  pillars  of 
the  earth,  are  exposed  to  similar  changes,  occasioned  either  by  the 
nature  of  the  soil,  by  water  sapping  their  foundations,  or  by  subterra- 
nean fires.    Though  some  parts  of  the  earth  sink  down,  others,  on 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


459 


the  contrary,  are  elevated.  A  fertile  valley  may,  at  the  end  of  a 
century,  be  converted  into  a  marsh,  where  clay,  turf,  and  other  sub- 
stances, may  form  strata  from  each  other.  Lakes  and  gulfs  are 
converted  into  dry  land.  In  stagnant  waters,  weeds,  rushes,  and 
different  plants  grow  ;  substances,  both  animal  and  vegetable,  putrify 
in  them,  and  gradually  form  a  sort  of  mud  or  mould,  till  at  length  the 
bottom  becomes  so  much  raised,  that  the  place  of  water  is  occupied 
by  solid  earth.  The  sea  also  partakes  of  the  commotions  occasioned 
by  earthquakes  and  explosions,  and  the  most  sensible  effect  we  ob- 
serve from  them  is  the  formation  of  new  islands.  These  are  produced 
by  the  elevation  of  the  bottom  of  the  sea  ;  or  are  composed  of  pumice- 
stones,  calcined  rocks,  and  other  matters  projected  from  volcanoes. 
History  informs  us,  that  in  consequence  of  earthquakes,  whole  cities 
have  been  swallowed  up,  and  buried  sixty  feet  deep,  so  that  the  earth 
which  covered  them  afterwards  became  arable  ground. 

Many  of  the  alterations  produced  upon  our  globe  have  been  occa- 
sioned by  the  motions  of  waters.  Rain  soaks  into  the  mountains,  and 
washes  away  a  portion  of  their  substance,  which  being  carried  into 
the  sea  and  rivers,  considerably  raises  their  bottom.  The  course  of 
water  is  often  changed,  and  the  coasts  themselves  are  sometimes  re- 
moved. At  one  time  the  sea  retires,  and  leaves  whole  countries  dry, 
which  once  were  its  bed ;  and  sometimes  it  encroaches  upon  the  shore, 
and  inundates  whole  provinces.  Places  which  formerly  bordered  on 
the  sea  are  now  at  a  considerable  distance  from  it.  Anchors,  and 
large  iron  rings,  to  moor  vessels,  and  the  wrecks  of  ships,  found  on 
mountains  and  marshes,  at  a  great  distance  from  the  sea,  incontesta- 
bly  prove  that  many  parts  of  the  earth,  now  cultivated,  were  once 
covered  by  the  ocean.  It  is  a  very  probable  conjecture  that  England 
was  once  united  to  France  :  the  beds  of  earth  and  stone,  which  are 
the  same  on  each  side  the  strait,  between  Dover  and  Calais,  as  well 
as  the  shallowness  of  the  sea  between  those  two  places,  render  it  still 
more  likely  to  have  been  the  case. 

Climates  also  occasion  great  revolutions  upon  the  globe.  Between 
the  tropics,  heats  and  rains  alternate  ;  in  some  places  it  rains  for  seve- 
ral months  successively,  and  at  other  times  the  heat  is  excessive. 
The  countries  situated  near  the  poles  are  exposed  to  great  changes 
by  the  rigour  of  the  cold.  In  autumn  the  water  penetrates  by  nume- 
rous crevices  into  the  rocks  and  mountains,  and  in  winter  freezes, 
when  the  ice,  by  its  dilating,  causes  great  destruction. 

Hence  we  learn  that  all  mundane  things  are  subject  to  change  and 
continual  vicissitudes ;  and  we  see  that  frequent  accidental  revolutions 
give  place,  to  cause  the  animate  as  well  as  the  inanimate  world  to 
assume  a  new  appearance.  One  generation  departs  to  give  place  to 
another.  Among  men,  some  rise  into  notice  and  respectability,  whilst 
others  sink  into  poverty  and  insigniticance  ;  and,  among  the  various 
creatures  that  inhabit  the  globe,  there  are  evident  differences  in  their 
states  and  faculties.  God  has  allotted  to  all  beings  different  periods  of 
duration  ;  some  have  only  a  short  and  momentary  existence,  others  a 


460 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


long  life,  and  others  an  endless  duration  ;  all  evincing,  in  the  most 
striking  manner,  the  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness  of  the  Creator. 


DECEMBER  XI. 

GRATITUDE  FOR  OUR  CLOTHING. 

Providence  manifests  his  care  even  in  our  clothing.  How  many 
animals  furnish  us  a  covering  with  their  skin,  hairs,  furs,  and  wool ! 
The  sheep  alone  supplies  us  with  the  most  necessary  part  of  our  dress  ; 
and  to  the  labours  of  a  worm  we  are  indebted  for  our  silken  robes. 
How  numerous  are  the  plants  which  also  contribute  to  our  dress ! 
Flax  and  hemp  also  supply  us  with  hnen  ;  and  with  cotton  various 
articles  of  apparel  are  manufactured.  But  these  vast  stores  of  nature 
would  still  have  been  deficient,  if  God  had  not  endowed  man  with 
industry,  and  a  mind  inexhaustibly  fertile  in  invention,  as  well  as 
hands  suitable  to  prepare  the  different  kinds  of  clothing  that  are  ne- 
cessary. If  we  only  reflect  upon  the  labour  requisite  to  prepare  a  single 
piece  of  cloth,  we  shall  find  how  many  hands  are  necessary  to  procure 
even  a  few  yards.  We  surely  ought  not  to  be  vain  of  our  garments, 
seeing  that  to  obtain  them  we  are  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  those 
animals  that  are  the  most  contemptible  in  our  estimation,  and  to  that 
class  of  men  that  we  the  most  despise. 

Why  has  the  Creator  obliged  us  to  provide  ourselves  with  clothes, 
whilst  all  other  animals  receive  theirs  immediately  from  nature  ?  In 
answer  to  this,  I  assert,  that  this  necessity  is  very  advantageous  to  us  ; 
it  is  favourable  to  our  health,  and  suitable  to  our  mode  of  living.  We 
may  by  this  means  regulate  our  dress  according  to  the  season  of  the 
year  and  the  climate  in  which  we  live.  Our  clothes  promote  the  in- 
sensible perspiration  of  our  bodies,  so  essential  to  the  preservation  of 
our  lives  ;  and  the  obligation  that  we  are  under  of  procuring  them 
has  exercised  the  human  mind,  and  given  rise  to  several  arts  ;  and, 
finally,  the  labour  which  they  require  for  their  fabrication  supports  a 
great  number  of  workmen.  We  have,  therefore,  every  reason  to  be 
satisfied  with  this  arrangement  of  Providence  ;  only  let  us  be  very  care- 
ful not  to  lose  sight  of  the  end  proposed  in  our  being  supphed  with 
clothing.  A  Christian  certainly  should  not  seek  to  derive  his  glory 
from  the  external  covering  of  his  body,  but  in  the  virtuous  dispositions 
of  his  soul.  Pride  assumes  various  forms  ;  it  is  elated  by  the  most 
trifling  advantages,  and  seeks  for  applause  where  none  is  merited. 
Pride  is  manifested  by  some  people  in  the  brilliancy  of  their  silks  and 
the  splendour  of  their  jewels,  whilst  others  nourish  it  in  rags.  The 
man  who  studies  propriety  will  avoid  either  extreme.  To  glory  in 
outward  ornament  and  external  pomp  is  degrading  to  our  nature  ;  we 
wear  clothes  to  preserve  us  against  the  intemperance  of  the  air,  and 
not  to  gratify  the  pettiness  of  vanity,  and  the  insignificance  of  pride. 

Let  us  also  reflect  a  little  on  the  state  of  many  of  our  fellow-crea- 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS 


461 


tures,  who  have  scarcely  clothes  to  cover  them.  How  many  poor 
wretches  do  we  see  around  us  half-starved  and  half-naked,  who  in 
these  severe  winter  days  can  find  no  shelter  from  the  cold  !  Let  the 
contemplation  of  these  unfortunate  beings  induce  us  to  feel  a  lively 
sense  of  the  divine  goodness,  which  has  enabled  us  to  obtain  the  ne- 
cessary clothing.  Let  us,  then,  remember  that  many  people  are 
destitute  of  what  we  so  abundantly  enjoy,  and  that  it  is  our  duty  to 
clothe  the  naked,  to  feed  the  hungry,  and  be  grateful  to  God  for  the 
plenty  with  which  he  has  blessed  us. 


DECEMBER  XIL 

COVERING  OF  ANIMALS. 

It  is  an  incontestable  proof  of  Divine  Providence,  that  all  animals 
are  naturally  provided  with  that  covering  which  is  best  adapted  to 
their  place  of  abode  and  mode  of  living.  Some  are  clothed  with  hair, 
some  with  feathers,  several  with  scales,  and  others  with  shells.  This 
variety  is  a  certain  proof  that  a  very  skilful  workman  has  prepared 
the  garments  of  these  animals  ;  for  they  are  not  only  generally  adapted 
to  the  different  species,  but  also  appropriated  to  each  particular  indi- 
vidual. For  quadrupeds,  hair  was  the  most  suitable  covering ;  and 
nature  in  giving  it  to  them  has  so  formed  the  texture  of  their  skin, 
that  they  are  hardy  enough  to  lie  down  upon  the  ground  in  all  kinds 
of  weather,  and  be  employed  in  the  service  of  man.  The  thick  fur 
of  some  animals,  whilst  it  secures  them  against  the  effects  of  cold  and 
moisture,  serves  them  also  to  cover  their  little  ones,  and  to  lie  down 
more  softly. 

Far  birds,  and  some  species  of  insects,  feathers  form  the  most  con- 
venient covering  :  besides  sheltering  them  from  cold  and  wet,  they  are 
so  arranged  as  to  enable  them  to  float  more  easily  upon  the  air. 
Feathers  cover  the  whole  body  of  the  bird,  and  by  their  delicate 
structure  favour  its  flight ;  they  are  light  and  hollow,  and  their  quills 
contain  a  marrowy  substance  which  strengthens  them,  while  capil- 
lary filaments,  interlaced  into  each  other  with  much  art,  render  them 
sufficiently  thick  to  maintain  the  heat  of  the  body,  to  preserve  it  from 
the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  and  to  give  the  wings  a  sufficient 
degree  of  strength. 

The  covering  of  reptiles  is  also  perfectly  adapted  to  their  mode  of 
life.  Let  us  examine,  for  instance,  an  earth-worm.  Its  body  is  formed 
of  a  series  of  small  rings,  and  each  ring  is  provided  with  a  certain 
number  of  muscles,  by  means  of  which  it  can  extend  or  contract  its 
body  at  pleasure.  They  have  under  their  skin  a  glutinous  juice  which 
exudes,  and  whose  effect  is  to  lubricate  the  body,  that  it  may  with 
greater  facihty  make  its  way  in  the  earth. 

Aquatic  animals  are  covered  by  a  substance  equally  well  adapted 
to  the  element  in  which  they  live.  Fish  could  have  no  dress  so  con- 
S9* 


462 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


venient  for  them  as  scales ;  the  shape,  hardness,  size,  number,  and 
position  of  which  are  admirably  adapted  to  their  mode  of  Hfe. 

The  beauty  of  these  various  kinds  of  covering  is  also  very  remark- 
able, particularly  in  some  species  of  birds  and  insects.  The  varied 
hues  of  the  butterfly,  and  the  splendid  plumage  of  some  birds,  are 
truly  admirable;  in  some  we  see  all  the  richness  of  colouring,  in  others 
the  most  beautiful  and  delicate  simplicity.  The  hummingbird,  a 
native  of  America,  may  be  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  wonders  of  na- 
ture :  not  larger  than  a  bee,  its  plumage  is  so  beautiful,  that  its  neck 
and  wings  reflect  the  brilliancy  of  the  rainbow.  Its  neck  exhibits  the 
bright  red  of  the  ruby  ;  under  the  belly  and  wings  the  colour  is  that 
of  gold  ;  the  thighs  are  green  as  the  emerald  :  the  feet  and  bill  black 
and  polished  as  ebony.  The  males  have  a  small  tuft  upon  their  heads 
uniting  all  the  colours  that  adorn  the  rest  of  their  body,  and  which 
the  Mexican  ladies  wear  as  pendants  in  their  ears. 

We  find,  then,  that  every  animal  has  that  kind  of  dress  which  is 
most  suitable  to  it :  nothing  is  defective,  nothing  is  superfluous;  but 
every  thing  is  so  well  arranged  and  perfected,  even  in  the  smallest 
productions  of  nature,  that  human  industry  and  art  can  never  imitate 
it.  And  does  not  this  clearly  demonstrate  the  existence  of  a  Being, 
who  unites  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness  to  a  desire  of  rendering  each 
creature  as  happy  as  his  nature  and  destination  will  permit  1 


DECEMBER  XIIL 

THOUGHTS  ON  THE  RAVAGES  OF  WINTER. 

I  hear  the  wind  and  the  tempest  roar.  The  blood  freezes  in  my 
veins.  The  gathering  gloom,  the  fearful  misgivings  of  my  heart, 
concur  to  render  the  awful  tumult  of  nature  more  terrible.  How  of^en 
does  the  wind  sweep  down  cottages  and  palaces,  and  in  a  moment 
destroy  the  labour  of  years  !  How  often  are  ships,  and  the  unfortu- 
nate men  who  hazard  their  lives  in  a  brittle  bark,  plunged  into  the 
dread  abyss !  And  how  often  are  the  sturdy  oaks  torn  up  by  the 
roots  !  But  thou,  O  Lord,  art  the  creator  and  the  ruler  of  the  storm. 
The  tempests  and  the  winds  are  thy  messengers,  the  heralds  of  thy 
power,  and  the  ministers  of  thy  will.  They  should  lead  us  to  fear 
and  to  adore  thee.  Didst  thou  not  set  limits  to  their  destructive  power, 
they  continually,  and  in  all  places,  would  cause  the  same  ravages ; 
yet,  thanks  to  that  wisdom  which  stills  the  winds,  the  lowly  cottage 
is  still  preserved,  though  unsheltered  from  the  rude  blast  of  the  storm. 

If  the  creation,  and  all  mundane  events,  are  the  works  and  effects 
of  infinite  wisdom,  how  can  the  disorder,  desolation,  and  destruction, 
occasioned  by  tempests,  ever  happen  1  Can  almighty  inteUigence 
produce  any  thing  but  order  1  or  can  supreme  goodness  design  any 
other  end  than  what  is  good  ?  Thus  my  thoughts  wander,  O  man ; 
but  what  art  thou  that  thus  interrogatest  thy  Creator?    Shall  man 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


463 


say  unto  his  God,  Why  hast  thou  thus  created  me  ?  And  because  we 
cannot  explain  the  mysteries  of  nature,  shall  we  say  that  the  works  of 
Providence  are  defective?  To  judge  of  his  works,  and  of  the  ends 
which  he  has  proposed,  would  require  an  intelligence  and  wisdom 
equal  to  his  own.  It  is,  indeed,  wonderful  that  we  are  capable  of 
perceiving  a  part  of  the  order  which  he  has  established,  of  embrac- 
ing a  part  of  the  wise  and  immense  plan  which  he  has  executed,  and 
that,  considering  the  darkness  of  our  understanding,  things  are  not 
still  more  confused  than  they  are. 

To  make  a  whole  of  the  materials  which  compose  the  visible  world, 
where  many  superb  phenomena  are  produced,  so  many  beauties  dis- 
played, and  the  treasures  of  reason,  virtue,  and  felicity,  abundantly 
enjoyed  by  myriads  of  hving  creatures,  is  a  work  so  vast  and  wonder- 
ful, that  it  could  alone  be  effected  by  a  Being  all-powerful,  wise,  and 
good.  The  farther  our  researches  penetrate  into  the  works  of  nature, 
the  more  the  goodness  and  wisdom,  which  has  created  all,  and 
governs  all,  is  manifested. 

After  these  considerations,  we  shall  form  a  different  opinion  respect- 
ing the  ravages  of  winter.  The  tempests,  the  frost,  and  the  snow, 
and  all  the  phenomena  peculiar  to  this  season,  which  can  be  con- 
sidered as  disagreeable,  are  linked  together  in  the  eternal  order  of 
things  ;  each  having  its  season  and  appointed  time,  and  all  contribut- 
ing to  the  general  harmony  of  the  universe.  The  wind  that  affrights 
the  mariner  upon  the  ocean  drives  water  upon  dry  lands.  The  sul- 
phurous vapours,  salt,  and  other  matters,  carried  by  the  wind  from 
one  country  to  another,  revive  the  earth,  and  restore  fertility  to  the 
fields,  which  have  been  exhausted  by  their  frequent  crops.  Thus 
winter,  apparently  so  destructive,  enables  our  meadows  again  to  yield 
us  rich  fruit.  The  fields,  the  gardens,  and  the  seeds,  now  repose 
beneath  ice  and  snow.  All  nature  appears  dead.  But  God,  during 
this  apparent  suspension  of  vitality,  preserves  the  world,  and  watches 
our  suffering  nature.  He  feeds  and  supports  the  poor,  and  even  ne- 
glects not  the  starved  shivering  birds,  for  whom  he  provides  places 
of  retreat. 

*  Lord,  thou  art  great !  In  the  most  tempestuous  seasons  thou  art 
merciful  and  compassionate.  From  amid  the  ice  and  the  snow  thou 
preparest  food  for  us ;  and  thou  enablest  us  to  bear  the  severity  of  the 
cold.  Thou  clothest  the  naked ;  thou  strengthenest  the  weak ;  they 
live  and  are  prosperous.  Teach  us  to  know  thee,  and  to  acknowledge 
thee  as  our  friend  and  benefactor.  Cause  thy  goodness  to  kindle  a 
holy  rapture  in  our  hearts;  to  breathe  in  us  such  love  that  we  can  feel 
kindness  for  our  enemy,  clothe  him  when  naked,  feed  him  when 
hungry,  and  wipe  away  his  tears  when  in  distress  !  When,  for  thy 
sake,  the  poor  man  shares  his  morsel  with  him  who  is  destitute,  con- 
descend to  reward  his  labour  of  love.  While  time  shall  endure,  winter 
and  summer,  seedtime  and  harvest,  shall  succeed  each  other,  and  thy 
blessings  shall  cover  thy  creation.' 


464 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


DECEMBER  XIV. 

SAGACITY  OF  ANIMALS  IN  PROCURING  SUSTENANCE  FOR  THE  WINTER. 

There  are  some  animals  which,  during  the  harvest  time,  lay  up 
stores  for  the  winter,  containing  provisions  for  six  months  :  thus 
appearing  to  foresee  tliat  a  season  w^ould  come,  in  which  they  could 
not  obtain  their  accustomed  food,  and  that,  provident  of  the  future, 
they  know  how  to  calculate  the  quantity  of  provisions  that  will  suffice 
for  both  them  and  their  families.  Among  insects,  bees  are  almost  the 
only  species  that  lay  up  provisions  for  the  winter.  They  use  their 
wax  with  great  economy,  because  they  cannot  gather  any  more  when 
the  season  of  flowers  is  passed,  and  when  they  have  no  other  means 
of  subsisting,  and  constructing  their  cells,  than  the  stores  they  have 
previously  secured.  They  have  also  the  sagacity  to  collect  another 
sort  of  matter,  which  is  necessary  to  secure  their  hives  from  the 
effects  of  cold  ;  and  this  is  a  sort  of  glue  that  they  obtain  from  flowers 
and  bitter  plants,  and  with  which  they  closely  stop  up  every  crevice 
in  their  hives.  Tliey  waste  nothing,  observing  the  strictest  economy, 
and  what  they  do  not  at  present  want,  they  reserve  for  future  occa- 
sions. We  are  even  informed  by  those  who  have  carefully  observed 
their  habits,  that  when  in  winter  they  uncover  the  cells  that  contain 
the  honey,  tliey  lay  by  the  wax  which  closed  them  for  future  use. 

Among  quadrupeds,  the  hamster  and  the  fieldmouse  lay  up  provi- 
sions for  winter,  and,  during  the  time  of  harvest,  convey  a  quantity 
of  grain  into  their  subterranean  dwellings.  Among  birds,  magpies 
and  jays  collect  acorns  during  the  auturim,  and  preserve  them  for  the 
winter  in  hollow  trees. 

These  provident  cares  of  animals  cannot  be  the  result  of  reflection, 
for  that  supposes  much  more  intelligence  than  they  are  capable  of. 
They  only  think  of  the  present,  and  of  what  affects  their  senses  either 
agreeably  or  disagreeably  ;  and  if  it  happens  that  the  present  has  any 
reference  to  the  future,  it  is  without  design  on  their  part,  and  without 
their  having  any  knowledge  of  what  they  do.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult 
to  imagine  how  foresight  and  reflection  should  enter  into  the  instinct 
of  these  animals,  since  they  have  no  idea  of  the  vicissitude  of  the 
seasons  and  the  nature  of  winter ;  and  having  no  conception  of  the 
measure  of  time,  they  neither  know  when  winter  will  arrive,  nor  how 
long  it  will  continue.  It  would  be  equally  absurd  to  attribute  to  them 
reason,  ideas  of  the  future,  or  any  reflection  upon  the  means  of  exist- 
ence during  the  severity  of  the  season,  since  they  always  act  without 
any  variation,  and  each  species  constantly  follows  the  same  method 
as  its  predecessors,  without  any  instruction.  When  the  bees,  then, 
do  not  cease  to  collect  wax  and  honey  till  they  have  filled  their  maga- 
zines, or  until  the  season  no  longer  permits  them  to  work,  it  is  not 
because  they  foresee  that  a  time  will  come  when  they  can  collect  no 
more  :  such  a  degree  of  foresight  ought  not  to  be  attributed  to  them. 
They  are  instigated  by  nature  to  collect  wax  and  honey,  to  work 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


465 


during  the  fine  season,  and  by  the  time  winter  arrives  they  have 
generally  filled  their  magazines.  These,  as  well  as  all  other  animals, 
act  without  reflection  or  design,  almost  mechanically,  although  they 
seem  to  follow  the  wisest  rules  tliat  could  have  been  detected.  Being, 
therefore,  destitute  of  reason,  that  wise  economy,  and  those  apparent 
acts  of  foresight  and  reflection,  which  we  observe  in  them,  must  be 
produced  by  a  superior  inteUigence,  which  has  thought  and  taken 
care  for  them,  and  whose  views  they  fulfil  without  knowing  it.  And 
herein  consists  a  part  of  the  prerogatives  which  men  enjoy  over  brutes. 
We  can  recall  the  past,  and  imagine  the  future,  act  from  reflection, 
and  form  plans,  determine  from  motives,  and  choose  what  is  suitable. 
How  important  it  is,  then,  that  we  should  make  a  right  use  of  these 
prerogatives  !  Informed  as  we  are  of  the  great  revolutions  that  await 
us,  and  being  able  to  anticipate  the  winter  of  our  lives,  how  incum- 
bent it  is  upon  us  to  prepare  a  rich  stock  of  knowledge  and  virtue, 
which,  as  we  decline  in  the  vale  of  years,  shall  smooth  our  path  into 
eternity,  and  gild  our  last  moments  with  the  rays  of  joy  and  of  peace ! 


DECEMBER  XV. 

ADVANTAGES  OP  WINTER. 

It  is  advantageous  frequently  to  reflect  upon  the  blessings  which 
God  grants  to  us  in  this  rigorous  season.  In  consequence  of  the  cold 
and  frost,  many  noxious  vapours  are  retained  in  the  superior  regions 
of  the  atmosphere,  by  which  means  the  air  is  rendered  more  pure. 
Far  from  being  prejudicial  to  the  health  of  man,  they  often  improve 
it,  and  counteract  that  debility  which  a  continued  heat  would  produce. 
If  all  the  vapours  and  exhalations  which  are  collected  in  the  atmo- 
sphere were  to  descend  in  the  form  of  rain,  the  earth  would  become 
too  soft  and  wet,  the  roads  would  be  impassable,  and  our  bodies  Avould 
be  subjected  to  various  diseases.  In  hot  countries,  and  in  those  where 
there  is  much  wet  during  the  winter,  dangerous  and  severe  diseases 
"  are  much  more  frequent  than  in  other  places.  Travellers  inform  us 
that  in  Greenland,  where  mountains  of  ice  are  very  common,  and 
where  in  winter  the  days  are  scarcely  four  or  five  hours  long,  the  air 
is  very  salubrious,  pure,  and  light ;  and  that,  except  some  complaints 
in  the  chest  and  eyes,  occasioned  partly  by  the  nature  of  their  food, 
the  diseases  most  common  in  Europe  are  rarely  met  with.  And  it  is 
also  certain,  that  the  constitution  of  the  human  body  varies  according 
to  the  climate  in  which  it  is  placed  ;  so  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
northern  countries  enjoy  a  constitution  adapted  to  the  excessive  cold 
that  prevails  there,  and  they  are  generally  very  robust  and  hardy. 
Even  as  man,  though  he  loves  to  be  in  action,  and  that  labour  is 
necessary  to  him,  is  yet  glad  to  have  his  toil  interrupted  by  the  recur- 
rence of  each  evening,  to  taste  the  sweets  of  sleep,  and  to  pass  into  a 
state  altogether  opposite  to  that  in  which  he  was  when  awake  ;  so  also 
37  3  1 


466 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


does  our  nature  accommodate  itself  to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  seasons^ 
and  we  are  are  pleased  with  them,  because  they  contribute  to  our 
happiness  and  well-being. 

At  present  our  fields  and  gardens  are  covered  with  snow,  which  is 
necessary  to  preserve  them  from  being  injured  by  the  cold,  to  secure 
the  seeds  from  the  impetuosity  of  the  winds,  and  to  prevent  their  being 
destroyed.  The  fields,  after  having  during  the  fine  weather  produced 
all  the  fruits  upon  which  we  live  in  the  winter,  require  some  repose. 
And  in  this  we  have  great  cause  to  acknowledge  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  God  ;  for  if  he  had  not  provided  for  our  support,  and  if  to 
obtain  our  nourishment  we  were  obliged  to  cultivate  the  earth  in  this 
rigorous  season,  our  complaints  might  have  some  foundation  ;  but  he 
has  began  by  filling  our  magazines,  which  are  suflScient  to  supply  all 
our  wants,  and  permit  us  to  enjoy  a  degree  of  repose  suitable  to  the 
seasons. 

How  tender  are  the  cares  of  Providence  for  us  during  the  winter  I 
He  has  given  to  men  that  industry  of  which  they  have  so  much  need 
to  fortify  themselves  against  the  attacks  of  cold  and  frost.  Their  in- 
ventive mind  has  made  them  find  the  means  for  procuring  for  them- 
selves an  artificial  heat,  by  means  of  which  they  can  enjoy  in  their 
own  apartments  a  degree  of  warmth  equal  to  that  of  summer.  The 
cares  of  Providence  are  not  less  evident  in  the  annual  production  of 
wood,  and  its  astonishing  multiplication,  than  in  the  fertility  of  our 
fields.  Besides,  we  have  many  animals  at  our  command,  which  are 
very  useful  i"n  enabling  us  to  support  the  severit}^  of  the  season.  The 
colder  the  country,  the  more  useful  are  those  animals  whose  furs  are 
designed  to  keep  us  warm.  And  is  it  not  evident  that  Divine  wisdom 
has  foreseen  the  wants  incident  to  different  climates,  when  he  has 
placed  in  them  animals  that  could  live  no  where  else] 

Winter  does  not  materially  interrupt  trade  or  commerce.  For 
though  the  rivers  may  have  lost  their  fluidity,  their  surface,  solid  as  a 
rock,  is  converted  into  a  high-road,  where  carriages  may  pass  in  safety. 
Though  we  are  obliged  to  suspend  the  labours  of  the  field,  there  are 
various  other  ways  in  which  we  may  be  usefully  employed ;  and  we 
are  never  condemned  to  a  state  of  idleness  and  inaction.  The  repose 
of  nature  invites  us  to  look  for  resources  in  our  own  minds ;  and  though 
our  imagination  cannot  now  be  warmed  with  the  beauties  of  nature 
in  their  spring  and  summer  robes,  our  mind  no  longer  attracted  by  ex- 
ternal charms,  will  be  at  leisme  to  look  back,  and  dwell  upon  the 
images  it  has  formerly  perceived  and  made  its  own;  or  it  may  from 
the  present  change  in  nature  be  led  to  reflect  upon  the  instability  of  all 
earthly  things,  and  prepare  to  enter  into  that  eternity  to  which  it  is 
hastening,  and  devote  itself  with  full  sincerity  to  the  service  of  that 
Supreme  Being  who  never  changes,  but  is  ever  the  same,  merciful, 
just,  and  omnipotent. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


467 


DECEMBER  XVI. 

THE  ELEMENTS. 

Whether  we  consider  the  universe  collectively,  or  examine  its  dif- 
ferent parts  in  particular,  we  shall  always  find  sufficient  cause  to 
admire  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  the  Creator.  It  is  true  that  we 
have  a  very  imperfect  knowledge  of  things,  and  that  in  most  instances 
we  can  scarcely  advance  beyond  conjecture  and  probability  ;  but  this 
is  enough  to  make  us  acknowledge,  on  the  one  hand,  the  grandeur  of 
God,  and  on  the  other,  the  weakness  of  our  reason.  Perhaps  all  the 
elements  are  of  the  same  nature,  and  may  be  reduced  to  a  single 
essence,  so  combined  as  to  form  but  one  whole.  As  it  would  be  very 
difficult  for  us  to  consider  the  elemen(s  as  a  whole,  it  is  necessary  to 
divide  them,  and  separately  consider  the  primitive  constituent  parts  of 
bodies. 

How  various  and  admirable  are  the  properties  of  the  air  which  we 
every  moment  respire  !  How  great  is  the  forre  with  which  it  divides 
and  dissolves  all  kinds  of  substances,  at  the  same  time  imbibing  their 
difierent  qualities  !  Innumerable  vapours  and  exhalations,  thousands 
of  various  odours,  volatile  salts,  alkalies  and  acids,  oils  and  inflam- 
mable spirits,  that  all  mix  and  unite  with  it,  sometimes  rendering  it 
noxious,  though  generally  salubrious  and  beneficial.  These  foreign 
particles  contained  in  the  air,  its  elasticity,  the  property  that  it  has  of 
becoming  rarified  or  condensed,  and  of  regaining  its  natural  state, 
produce  those  agitations  in  the  atmosphere,  those  meteors  that  disperse 
the  noxious  vapours,  purify  the  air,  and  favour  the  vegetation  of  plants. 
And  though  the  efifects  of  the  air  are  sometimes  severe,  they  are, 
nevertheless,  necessary  to  prevent  the  earth  being  converted  into  a 
desert.  There  are  in  this  element,  as  in  all  the  works  of  God,  im- 
penetrable mysteries.  Who,  for  instance,  can  explain  how  the  particles 
of  air,  being  so  subtile  as  entirely  to  escape  our  sight,  are  yet  the 
means  by  which  objects  become  visible  to  us  ]  How  wonderful  is  the 
equilibrium  that  obtains  between  the  external  air  and  that  which  is 
within  our  bodies  !  A  balance  upon  which  our  health  and  even  life 
depends !  And  how  admirable  is  it,  that  the  same  element  should  be 
the  medium  by  which  sound,  odours,  and  light  are  transmitted  ! 

Water  has  some  conformity  with  air,  and  its  properties  and  efifects 
are  not  less  various  and  admirable.  All  the  abundance  and  salu- 
brity of  the  air,  all  the  riches  of  the  earth,  and  the  heat  of  the  fire, 
could  not  prevent  our  perishing  if  we  wanted  water.  Of  how  many 
changes  and  combinations  is  it  not  susceptible  !  Who  has  given  it  the 
property  of  dilating,  dividing,  and  rarefying  to  such  a  degree  as  to  en- 
able it  to  ascend  in  the  atmosphere  to  the  height  of  a  league,  float 
there,  and  form  itself  into  fogs  and  clouds?  Who  has  given  it  the 
power  of  penetrating  into  plants,  of  again  passing  out  by  their  insen- 
sible pores,  and  of  diflfusing  itself  over  our  fields  and  valleys  in  the 
form  of  dew  ?  How  astonishing  is  the  property  it  has  of  sometimes 


468 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


becoming  lighter  than  air,  though  a  given  quantity  of  water  as  nine 
hundred  times  heavier  than  a  similar  quantity  of  air  ;  of  attaching 
itself  to  all  kinds  of  bodies,  of  dissolving  the  most  compact  substances, 
and  of  even  uniting  with  fire  ! 

Of  all  the  elements,  we  know  the  least  of  the  nature  of  fire.  It  is 
too  subtile  for  our  eyes  ;  though  its  virtues,  properties,  and  effects,  are 
sufficiently  obvious.  Whether  the  essence  of  fire  consists  only  in 
motion,  or  in  the  fermentation  of  inflammable  particles,  or,  what 
several  experiments  would  seem  to  authorize  us  to  suspect,  that  it  is  a 
simple  matter,  differing  in  its  nature  from  all  other  corporeal  things ; 
it  is  certain  that  its  prodigious  abundance,  its  utility  and  wonderful 
effects,  deserve  all  our  attention.  There  is  no  body  so  cold  that  does 
not  possess  particles  capable  of  ignition.  The  presence  of  fire  is  uni- 
versal ;  it  exists  in  the  air  which  we  respire,  in  the  water  that  we  drink, 
and  in  the  earth  upon  Avhich  we  live.  It  enters  into  the  composition 
of  all  bodies  ;  it  passes  through  the  minutest  pores,  unites  itself  closely 
to  them,  and  moves  with  them  from  one  place  to  another ;  and  how- 
ever covered  and  refined,  it  does  not  fail  to  discover  itself.  How  for- 
cibly it  dilates  the  air  which  surrounds  it,  whilst  the  air  itself  renders 
the  fire  more  active !  It  gives  fluidity  to  the  water,  fertility  to  the  earth, 
and  health  and  life  to  man  and  animals. 

Earth,  when  pure,  is  distinguished  from  all  other  bodies  by  its 
having  neither  taste  nor  smell,  by  being  insoluble  in  water  and  spirits 
of  wine,  and  by  its  friability.  It  at  first  appears  to  be  very  different 
from  all  the  other  elements,  and  yet  has  so  much  conformity  with  them, 
that  some  naturalists  believe  that  water  is  nothing  more  than  earth 
in  a  state  of  solution,  and  that  earth  is  water  in  a  condensed  state. 
According  to  these,  the  water  upon  our  globe  is  continually  diminish- 
ing, and  gradually  forming  compact  substances,  and  that  our  planet 
formerly  was  only  a  fluid  mass,  and  at  a  still  more  remote  period  only 
water. 

All  these  different  elements  are  essential  to  our  existence  and  pre- 
servation ;  and  whenever  we  reflect  upon  their  wonderful  properties, 
and  the  numerous  and  diversified  effects  which  they  produce,  our  ad- 
miration must  be  called  forth.  With  how  many  properties,  all  diflfer- 
ing  from  each  other,  has  God  endued  his  works  !  How  many  agents, 
in  the  heavens  and  upon  the  earth,  are  continually  in  motion  for  the 
preservation  of  the  universe,  and  each  individual  in  particular  !  What 
wonderful  revolutions  and  phenomena  are  effected  by  the  elements 
alone  !  It  would  be  more  easy  to  number  all  the  works  of  God,  than 
to  calculate  the  multiplied  forces  which  are  in  action  !  How  great, 
then,  is  the  power  of  that  Being,  in  whose  hand  are  all  the  elements, 
and  all  the  different  agents  in  nature  ;  who  directs  them  all  to  the 
greatest  and  most  noble  ends  ;  unto  whom  be  rendered  honour,  glory, 
and  praise,  for  ever  and  ever  I 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


469 


DECEMBER  XVII. 

INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SUN  UPON  THE  EARTH, 

The  sun  is  a  very  powerful  agent  in  the  system  of  this  universe. 
He  is  the  constant  source  of  the  hght  that  is  so  abundantly  diffused 
over  our  globe.  This  light  of  the  sun  is  the  most  subtile  fire  :  it  pene- 
trates all  bodies,  and,  when  it  is  in  sufficient  quantity,  puts  all  their 
parts  in  motion,  attenuates  and  decomposes  them,  dissolves  those  that 
are  compact,  rarefies  those  which  are  fluid,  and  adapts  them  to  an 
infinity  of  motions.  Is  it  not  evident,  then,  that  from  these  diversified 
effects  of  the  sun  upon  bodies  must  depend  most  of  the  phenomena 
and  revolutions  of  the  globe  ?  When  the  force  of  the  sun's  light  in- 
creases, that  is,  when  the  rays  fall  less  obliquely,  and  in  greater  quan- 
tity upon  a  given  place,  and  when  they  continue  each  day  to  act 
longer,  which  is  the  case  in  summer,  it  must  necessarily  effect  great 
changes,  both  in  the  atmosphere  and  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
And  when  the  rays  fall  more  obHquely,  and  consequently  more  feebly, 
and  the  days  are  shorter,  and  their  action  is  less  prolonged,  as  is  the 
case  in  winter,  how  different  are  the  changes  observable  in  the  atmo- 
sphere !  How  gradually  we  perceive  the  alterations,  when,  from  the 
remote  sign  of  Capricorn,  the  sun  advances  nearer  to  the  equinoctial 
line,  till  by  the  time  of  spring,  the  days  are  equal  to  the  nights  !  And 
what  new  phenomena  are  seen,  when  this  luminous  body  returns  in 
summer  from  the  tropic  of  Cancer  toward  the  line,  till  the  days  and 
nights  again  become  equal  in  autumn,  and  the  sun  removes  from  our 
zenith  ! 

It  is  chiefly  on  the  distance  of  the  sun  from  the  earth  that  all  the 
diversity  observed  in  the  vegetation  of  plants,  and  in  the  internal 
constitution  of  bodies  in  all  climates  and  seasons,  depends.  Hence 
each  climate  and  season  has  plants  and  animals  that  are  peculiar  to 
it,  and  the  progress  of  vegetation  is  more  or  less  rapid,  and  the  pro- 
ductions of  nature  continue  a  longer  or  sliorter  space  of  time. 

It  is  impossible,  however,  to  describe  or  even  point  out  all  the  vari- 
ous effects  of  the  sun  upon  the  earth.  All  the  changes  and  revolutions 
of  the  globe  are  principally  owing  to  the  action  of  this  luminary, 
because  upon  it  chiefly  depend  the  different  degrees  of  heat  and  cold. 
And  it  requires  but  a  slight  share  of  attention  to  be  convinced  of  the 
numerous  and  sensible  effects  of  which  the  sun  is  the  prime  cause. 
At  one  time  he  rarefies,  at  another  condenses,  the  air ;  one  while 
raises  vapours  and  fogs,  at  another  precipitates  them  down  in  the 
form  of  rain,  or  different  meteors.  He  causes  the  sap  to  rise  in  vege- 
tables and  trees,  which  makes  the  leaves  and  blossoms  shoot,  and 
ripens  the  fruit.  He  animates  all  nature,  and  is  the  source  of  that 
vivifying  heat  which  gives  to  organized  bodies  their  power  of  develop- 
ing, of  growth,  and  of  perfecting  themselves  ;  there  is  no  place  where 
his  influence  is  not  felt;  it  penetrates  the  rocks  and  the  mountains,  and 
extends  to  the  depth  of  the  sea.    This  alone  is  suflficient  to  convince 


470 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


us  of  the  power  of  our  Creator ;  and  if  we  consider  with  what  art  and 
wisdom  God  has  drawn  a  multitude  of  great  effects  from  one  and  the 
same  instrument,  and  made  use  of  the  sun's  heat  to  produce  so  many- 
phenomena  of  nature,  we  should  more  and  more  clearly  perceive  the 
omniscience,  nothing  short  of  which  could  have  effected  so  many 
wonders. 


DECEMBER  XVllI. 

WINTER  RAINS. 

What  a  difference  there  is  between  the  effects  of  the  rains  which 
now  fall,  accompanied  with  cold  and  dreariness,  and  those  of  the 
refreshing  rains  of  summer !  This  change  gives  a  sorrowful  aspect 
to  nature.  The  sun  is  veiled,  and  the  whole  heaven  appears  to  be 
one  vast  cloud.  We  cannot  see  far  ;  a  gloomy  obscurity  hangs  over 
us,  and  we  are  threatened  by  the  gathering  tempest.  At  length  the 
heavy  clouds  break,  and  the  earth  is  inundated  ;  the  air  seems  an 
inexhaustible  reservoir  of  water ;  the  rivers  and  brooks  swell,  and, 
overflowing  their  banks,  sweep  over  the  distant  fields  and  meadows. 

However  disagreeable  and  unpleasant  such  weather  may  appear  to 
us,  we  must  still  acknowledge  that  it  is  ultimately  for  our  good.  The 
earth,  almost  exhausted  by  its  fruitfulness,  requires  a  renovation  of  its 
strength  ;  to  accomplish  which,  it  is  not  only  necessary  that  it  should 
repose,  but  also  that  it  should  be  moistened.  Rain  waters  and  re- 
freshes the  dry  land,  soaks  into  it,  and  penetrates  the  lowest  roots  of 
plants.  The  dry  leaves  that  cover  the  earth  rot,  and  form  an  excel- 
lent manure.  The  abundant  rains  of  winter  fill  the  rivers,  and  supply 
the  springs  and  fountains  with  water.  Nature  is  never  idle,  but  is 
continually  working,  though  her  activity  is  not  always  apparent.  The 
clouds,  by  continually  pouring  down  snow  or  rain,  prepare  the  fertility 
of  the  ensuing  year,  and  the  riches  of  summer  ;  and  when  the  heat  of 
the  sun  brings  back  the  dry  season,  the  abundant  springs  which  the 
winter  rains  had  formed  diffuse  their  waters,  irrigate  the  meadows 
and  the  valleys,  and  adorn  them  with  new  verdure. 

Thus  the  wise  Creator  provides  for  the  future,  and  that  which 
appeared  to  us  destructive  and  inconvenient,  becomes  the  source  of 
all  the  beauties  and  riches  which  in  spring  and  summer  are  lavished 
in  such  profusion.  The  gifts  that  we  thus  receive  are  more  innumera- 
ble than  the  drops  of  rain  that  fall  from  the  clouds  ;  and  at  the  very 
time  when  man,  ignorant  and  blind,  is  murmuring  and  complaining, 
he  ought  to  be  singing  songs  of  joy,  for  eternal  immutable  wisdom  is 
then  continuing  to  fulfil  its  beneficent  designs.  Our  preservation,  then, 
is  the  principal  end  that  God  purposes  in  sending  rain  upon  the  earth  ; 
and  the  divine  wisdom  knows  how  to  combine  various  designs  together, 
and  from  the  happy  combination  results  the  order  and  harmony  of  the 
universe 


STURM'S  REFLECTION^. 


471 


As  the  earth  is  benefited  by  the  visitation  of  the  tempest,  and 
prepared  for  fertility  by  the  repose  and  gloom  of  winter,  so  is  maa 
HTiproved  by  adversity.  To  bring  forth  good  works,  it  is  not  meet  that 
the  sun  of  prosperity  should  always  bless  us  with  his  rays.  From  the 
nature  of  our  constitution,  and  the  design  of  our  being,  we  must  suffer 
trials,  and  occasionally  experience  disappointment  and  affliction.  Let 
us,  then,  receive  adversity  from  the  hand  of  God  with  resignation, 
under  the  firm  conviction  that  all  his  dispensations  are  ordered  by 
unerring  wisdom  and  infinite  goodness. 


DECEMBER  XIX. 

SUPPOSED  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  PLANETS  AND  FIXED  STARS. 

The  prodigious  distance  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  the  little  con- 
nexion that  our  globe  has  with  them,  scarcely  renders  it  probable  that 
they  should  have  much  influence  upon  it;  yet  many  superstitious 
people  believe  in  such  an  influence,  and  affirm,  that  there  are  con- 
tinual emanations  passing  from  the  stars  and  planets  that  act  upon 
our  atmosphere  and  terrestrial  bodies.  But  what  are  these  emanations? 
If  by  them  is  meant  the  proper  hght  of  the  stars,  or  the  light  of  the 
sun  reflected  from  the  planets,  that  will  be  found  to  be  very  little, 
much  less  than  what  proceeds  from  the  moon  alone.  And  as  the  light 
that  we  receive  from  the  moon  has  no  sensible  influence  upon  the 
earth,  or  upon  the  atmosphere,  surely  that  which  we  receive  from  the 
planets  and  fixed  stars,  at  a  distance  so  much  greater,  cannot  affect 
our  globe.  And  the  supposition  that  other  matters  emanating  from 
these  stars  affect  us  is  equally  void  of  foundation ;  for  if  these  emanations 
were  really  to  take  place,  upon  being  collected  in  the  focus  of  a  burn- 
ing-glass, they  would  produce  some  evident  change  in  terrestrial 
bodies;  but  this  is  contradicted  by  experience.  It  seems,  then,  that 
nothing  is  emitted  from  the  heavenly  bodies  but  the  light  which  they 
send  us;  or  if  any  other  emanations  do  proceed  from  them,  they  must 
be  of  such  a  nature  as  to  pass  through  terrestrial  bodies  without  effect- 
ing in  them  any  sensible  change,  or  the  least  derangement  in  their 
particles.  Thus  those  astrologers,  who  either  deceive  themselves  or 
wish  to  impose  upon  others,  deserve  the  utmost  contempt,  when  they 
tell  us  of  the  benign  influence  of  Jupiter,  the  malignancy  of  Saturn, 
the  wit-inspiring  Mercury,  the  war-rousing  Mars,  and  the  amorous 
influence  of  Venus. 

Planets  not  only  cannot  singly  produce  the  peculiar  effects  that 
astrologers  attribute  to  them,  but  even  taken  collectively  cannot  have 
any  influence.  What  shall  we  say  of  the  rain-bringing  Pleiades, 
the  stormy  Orion,  the  melancholy  Hyades,  the  setting  of  Arcturus, 
and  the  rising  of  Capricorn,  portending  hail  and  tempests  1  What  in- 
fluence can  the  constellation  Taurus  have  upon  peas  and  beans,  and 
that  of  the  star  Sirius  upon  mad  dogs  1  Or  what  relation  can  Scorpio 


473 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


have  with  the  harvests  and  produce  of  the  fields  ?  If  the  rising  and 
setting"  of  the  different  constellations  were  observed  only  as  they  denote 
the  proper  period  for  the  different  labours  of  agriculture,  and  not  as 
the  causes  of  natural  things,  it  would  be  excusable.  In  the  first  ages 
of  the  world,  the  beginning,  middle,  and  end  of  each  season  was  not 
marked  by  the  names  of  months,  but  by  the  rising  and  setting  of  the 
stars  in  conjunction  with  the  sun,  or  by  their  immersion  in  and  emer- 
sion from  his  rays.  Hence  the  vulgar  opinion,  that  the  different 
aspects  of  these  stars  produced  effects  that  in  reality  should  be  attri- 
buted to  the  seasons,  and  of  course  to  the  sun.  Orion  rises  in  autumn, 
and  sets  in  winter:  hence  he  is  said  to  occasion  tempests.  When  the 
dog-star  rises  with  the  sun  it  is  extremely  hot  in  our  zone  ;  but  this 
constellation  is  not  the  cause  of  the  heat,  which  is  occasioned  by  the 
sun  being  then  at  its  greatest  elevation  ;  and  in  the  opposite  zone, 
when  the  dog-star  rises  with  the  sun,  it  is  altogether  as  cold  :  so  that 
the  inhabitants  of  the  southern  countries,  far  from  considering  the 
dog-star  as  the  cause  of  heat,  regard  it  as  the  cause  of  cold.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  Pleiades,  which  are  supposed  to  bring  rain, 
and  of  all  the  constellations  to  which  effects  are  attributed  that  really 
belong  to  the  seasons  in  which  these  stars  rise  or  set. 

If,  then,  the  planets  and  fixed  stars  have  no  part  in  the  tempera- 
ture and  natural  dispositions  of  our  globe,  they  must  still  have  less 
influence  upon  human  actions.  The  happiness  and  the  misery  of 
individuals,  and  of  whole  nations,  partly  depend  upon  their  natural 
talents  and  passions,  and  in  part  upon  the  political  constitution  of 
states,  and  upon  the  combination  of  certain  natural  and  moral  causes: 
consequently,  the  stars  can  have  no  influence  whatever  upon  these, 
and  if  they  had,  we  should  have  some  reason  to  doubt  the  empire  of 
Providence,  and  to  disbelieve  in  the  agency  of  a  Being  mfinitely  wise, 
good,  powerful,  and  just.  Leaving,  then,  to  the  superstitious  a  science 
so  inimical  to  our  repose,  and  so  humiliating  to  the  human  mind  ;  a 
jargonistic  cant,  disgracing  the  name  of  science,  called  by  its  advocates 
judicial  astrology,  and  which  in  fact  is  nothing  more  than  a  miserable 
abuse  of  astronomy  in  the  hands  of  knaves  and  of  impostors,  or  of 
weak  and  foolish  people  ;  let  us  look  up  to  our  wise  and  merciful 
Parent  as  the  only  true  foundation  on  which  to  rest  the  certainty  of 
our  present  peace  and  eternal  happiness. 


DECEMBER  XX. 

THE  POLAR  STAR. 

The  most  remarkable  among  the  northern  constellations  is  that 
which  is  nearest  to  the  north  pole,  and  termed  the  little  bear.  The 
last  star  of  its  tail  is  but  two  degrees  from  the  pole  ;  hence  it  is  called 
the  polar  star.  It  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  neighbouring  stars, 
because  it  scarcely  appears  to  change  its  position,  and  is  always  in  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


473 


same  part  of  the  heavens ;  for  though  it  revolves  round  the  pole,  its 
motion  is  so  slow,  and  the  circle  that  it  describes  so  small,  as  to  be 
scarcely  perceptible.  By  this  apparent  fixity  of  situation,  it  becomes 
a  guide  to  travellers,  and  particularly  to  mariners  who  are  sailing  on 
the  open  seas.  Before  the  discovery  of  the  compass,  sailors  had  no 
surer  guide  than  the  polar  star;  and  even  now,  when  tlie  sky  is  serene, 
they  repose  in  many  cases  with  greater  certainty  upon  the  direction 
of  this  star  than  upon  the  magnetic  needle. 

The  advantages  which  we  derive  from  the  polar  star  naturally  lead 
us  to  the  consideration  of  that  moral  guide  and  inestimable  gift  that 
God  has  bestowed  upon  us,  his  blessed  word,  and  particularly  the 
Gospel,  which  points  out  to  us  with  unerring  certainty  the  path  that 
we  ought  to  follow,  and  the  true  course  in  which  to  steer  upon  life's 
stormy  ocean,  through  the  gloom  that  darkens  our  way.  Without 
such  a  faithful  guide  we  should  wander  in  uncertainty,  and  never  find 
the  path  that  leads  to  God  and  celestial  glory.  In  the  divine  relation 
alone  do  we  find  a  certain  and  invariable  rule,  by  which  we  may  pur- 
sue, with  courage  and  assiduity,  the  race  that  is  set  before  us,  and 
accomplish  it  with  joy  and  felicity. 

Let  us  attend  to  this,  as  the  pilot  attends  to  the  polar  star,  and,  by 
continually  keeping  it  in  sight,  prevent  the  possibility  of  erring.  With 
this  heavenly  guide  we  shall  shun  all  dangers,  be  preserved  from 
shipwreck,  and  after  our  long  and  arduous  voyage,  at  length  happily 
arrive  in  that  blessed  haven  where  we  shall  rest  from  all  our  labours, 
and  enjoy  a  happiness  which  nothing  can  molest  or  disturb. 

The  preceding  reflection  on  the  polar  star  is  also  calculated  to  make 
us  admire  the  goodness  of  God,  who,  by  the  position  and  the  course  of 
the  stars,  has  given  us  the  means  of  knowing  the  times,  places,  and 
different  points  of  the  heavens.  An  astronomer,  though  in  an  un- 
known country,  can,  by  means  of  the  stars,  know  where  he  is ;  and 
can  inform  himself  of  the  month,  the  day,  and  the  hour,  with  the 
same  certainty  as  if  he  had  consulted  the  most  correct  timepiece.  If, 
for  instance,  we  observe  that  the  stars  every  day  are  seen  four  minutes 
sooner  at  the  place  where  they  were  on  the  preceding  evening,  we 
know  that  in  a  month  it  will  amount  to  two  hours.  Thus  the  star 
that  we  see  this  evening,  the  20th  of  December,  at  ten  o'clock,  in  a 
certain  part  of  the  heavens,  will  be  seen  on  the  20th  of  January 
exactly  in  the  same  place  at  eight  o'clock. 


DECEMBER  XXI. 

EFFECTS  OF  AIR  W^HEN  CONFINED  IN  BOpiES. 

The  effects  of  air,  enclosed  in  bodies,  are  very  remarkable.  The 
consequence  of  fluids  freezing  is  well  know^n.    Water,  in  the  act  of 
congelation,  often ))ursts  the  vessels  which  contain  it.    The  barrel  of 
9,  gun,  filled  with  water,  its  entrance  being  hermetically  sealed,  when 
40*  3K 


474 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


the  cold  is  severe,  bursts  with  great  violence.  At  first  this  appears  to 
be  incomprehensible ;  we  know  that  water  is  not  of  itself  fluid,  but- 
becomes  so  by  the  caloric  which  every  where  pervades  it,  and  conse- 
quently, when  deprived  of  the  matter  of  heat  which  it  contains, 
becomes  a  solid  mass.  It  should  seem,  then,  that  in  their  state  of 
congelation,  the  particles  of  water  must  be  condensed,  and  approach 
nearer  to  each  other,  and  thus  occupy  less  space  than  before  they 
were  frozen.  On  the  contrary,  at  the  time  of  freezing  they  dilate, 
and  their  volume  increases,  otherwise  it  would  be  impossible  for  the 
vessels  to  burst.  Besides,  how  could  ice  swim,  if  it  did  not  form  a 
greater  volume,  and  become  lighter  than  when  in  a  state  of  water? 

What,  then,  is  the  cause  of  this  singular  effect?  Internal  air;  for 
it  is  impossible  to  suppose  any  external  cause.  To  be  convinced  that 
it  is  owing  to  the  air  contained  in  the  water,  we  have  only  to  observe 
that  fluid  when  it  first  begins  to  freeze.  Scarcely  is  the  first  pellicle 
of  ice  formed  when  the  water  becomes  agitated,  and  a  number  of  air 
bubbles  ascend.  This  upper  coat  of  ice  often  rises  in  the  middle  and 
splits;  the  water  springs  up  through  the  cleft,  dashes  against  the  sides 
of  the  vessel,  and  in  running  down  again  is  frozen  ;  thus  giving  the 
appearance  of  elevation  and  convexity  to  the  middle  of  the  surface. 
These  effects  are  produced  by  the  air  contained  in  the  water,  and 
would  not  take  place,  or  at  least  would  appear  in  a  much  less  degree, 
if,  before  the  water  began  to  freeze,  it  was  exhausted  as  much  as  pos- 
sible of  the  air  which  it  contained. 

On  this  principle  we  may  explain  many  singular  phenomena.  A 
severe  cold  is  very  injurious  to  vegetables.  We  know  that  in  all 
plants  the  sap  circulates  ;  which,  though  it  becomes  rather  more 
viscous  in  winter  and  in  autumn,  nevertheless  continues  fluid.  An 
intense  degree  of  cold  converts  it  into  ice,  and  then  evidently  increases 
its  volume,  which  cannot  take  place  without  causing  several  fibres 
and  stalks  of  plants  to  burst.  When  this  is  the  case,  it  is  clear  that 
when  the  sap  becomes  rarefied  in  spring,  it  cannot  circulate  as  it  ought 
to  do,  no  more  than  the  circulation  of  the  blood  can  be  carried  on  in 
an  animal  whose  veins  are  cut.  Thus  the  growth  of  the  plant  is 
prevented,  and  it  dies,  because  the  nourishing  juice  can  no  longer 
flow  through  its  vessels. 

From  ail  this  we  may  be  convinced  of  the  power  of  the  air,  and  of 
that  expansibility  from  which  we  derive  so  many  advantages.  The 
property  that  this  element  has  of  condensation  and  of  rarefaction,  to  an 
almost  incredible  extent,  is  the  cause  of  the  greatest  revolutions  that 
happen  upon  the  earth.  It  is  only  in  a  very  few  instances  that  the 
power  of  this  fluid  can  become  injurious,  and  then  the  evils  which 
result  are  amply  compensated  by  the  advantages.  We  must,  however, 
confess  that  in  this,  as  in  every  other  phenomenon  of  nature,  there  are 
many  things  which  we  are  unable  to  explain:  great  part  of  our  know- 
ledge of  the  nature,  properties,  and  effects  of  air  is  conjectural,  and 
perhaps  it  is  reserved  for  succeeding  generations  to  prove  how  false 
and  erroneous  our  opinions  upon  this  and  many  ojther  subjects  have 
been.    Whenever,  therefore,  we  contemplate  the  works  of  God  in 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


475 


nature,  let  us  examine  them  with  caution,  and  investigate  them  witn 
a  mind  humble,  conscious  of  its  own  inefficacy,  and  ever  mindful  of  the 
limited  extent  of  our  understanding,  and  the  uncertainty  of  human 
judgment  or  opinions. 


DECEMBER  XXII. 

MUSIC. 

To  music  we  are  indebted  for  one  of  the  purest  and  most  refined 
pleasures  that  the  bounty  of  heaven  has  permitted  to  cheer  the  heart 
of  man.  As  it  softly  steals  upon  our  ear,  it  lulls  to  rest  all  the  pas- 
sions that  invade  our  bosom,  arrests  our  roving  fancy,  or  in  louder 
strains  excites  the  soul  to  rage.  Often,  when  wrapped  in  melancholy, 
the  sweet  voice  of  music  charms  away  our  cares,  and  restores  our 
drooping  spirits,  or  awakens  in  us  the  sentiments  of  honour  and  of  glory. 
And  surely  that  which  can  assuage  our  griefs,  pour  balm  into  our 
perturbed  breasts,  and  make  us  forget  our  sorrows,  is  deserving  of  con- 
sideration, and  should  be  made  use  of  to  glorify  our  beneficent  Creator. 

Whence  proceeds  the  impression  that  music  makes  upon  the  ear? 
It  is  the  effect  of  certain  undulations  of  the  air,  which  strike  diversely 
upon  the  auditory  nerve.  When  a  light  cord  is  pulled,  its  figure 
changes  ;  for  from  its  elasticity  it  not  only  regains  its  first  situation, 
but  advances  beyond  it,  and  continues  vibrating  backwards  and 
forwards  until  it  recovers  its  original  position  and  state  of  rest.  These 
vibrations  of  the  cord  are  communicated  to  the  air,  which  conveys 
them  to  other  contiguous  bodies.  Thus,  when  an  organ  is  played 
upon,  if  a  lute  be  near,  its  strings  will  be  put  in  motion,  and  make  a 
sound.  But  whence  proceed  the  variation  of  sounds,  and  how  is  it 
that  some  are  sharp,  others  flat  ?  This  is  not  owing  to  the  quantity 
of  air  that  is  put  in  motion  ;  for  a  sound  may  be  flat  or  sharp,  and  at 
the  same  time  strong  or  feeble.  The  differences  of  flats  and  sharps 
depend  upon  the  greater  or  less  rapidity  of  the  vibrations  of  the  air. 
A  sonorous  body  emits  a  sharp  tone  when  the  vibrations  are  very 
quick,  and  a  flat  when  they  are  more  slow.  Whence  is  it  that  cer- 
tain sounds  are  harmonious,  and  charm  the  ear,  whilst  others  offend 
by  their  discord  1  All  that  we  can  reply  to  this  is,  that  the  natural 
character  of  consonances  consists  in  being  in  the  same  key  ;  whereas 
in  dissonance,  the  notes,  though  struck  at  the  same  time,  do  not 
accord,  but  produce  a  grating  on  the  ear  that  is  extremely  unpleasant. 
Let  us,  then,  be  grateful  to  the  God  of  all  love  and  mercy  for  the 
raptures  that  we  enjoy  from  the  impressions  of  sound  pouring  music 
through  our  souls  ;  and  raise  one  general  song  of  joy,  to  celebrate  his 

{)raises,  that  shall  ascend  into  heaven,  where  the  blessed  angels  of 
ight  will  join  in  the  full  chorus  of  pure  and  heavenly  harmony. 


476 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


DECEMBER  XXIII. 

MEN  COMPARED  WITH  OTHER  ANIMALS. 

In  the  comparison  which  we  are  about  to  draw  between  men  and 
other  animals,  some  things  will  be  found  which  are  common  to  both ; 
others  in  which  brutes  will  have  the  advantage  over  us  ;  and  others 
again  where  man  will  possess  a  decided  superiority  over  them. 

The  principal  resemblance  between  men  and  brutes  is,  that  they 
are  both  material.  Like  them,  we  have  life  and  organized  bodies, 
which  are  produced  by  generation  and  birth,  and  supported  by  food. 
Both  have  strength  and  animal  spirits  to  enable  them  to  fulfil  the 
different  functions  that  are  assigned  them  ;  both  have  voluntary  mo- 
tions, the  free  exercise  of  their  limbs,  senses,  sensations,  imagination, 
and  memory.  By  means  of  the  senses,  both  experience  the  sensations 
of  pleasure  and  of  pain,  which  cause  them  to  desire  certain  things 
and  reject  others  ;  both  have  a  natural  propensity  for  self-preservation, 
and  the  propagation  of  their  species  ;  and  both  are  subject  to  those 
general  corporeal  accidents  that  the  catenation  and  different  relations 
of  things,  the  lav/s  of  motion,  the  structure  and  organization  of  their 
bodies,  must  occasion. 

With  regard  to  the  pleasure  that  results  from  sensual  gratifications, 
brutes  have  several  advantages  over  men.  A  very  principal  one  is, 
that  they  do  not  require  the  clothing,  instruments  of  defence,  and 
conveniencies,  which  men  do,  and  which  they  are  obliged  to  invent 
themselves,  or  to  learn  and  to  exercise  the  arts  that  are  necessary  to 
procure  them.  Animals  bring  with  them  into  the  world  all  that  they 
require  ;  or  if  any  thing  be  still  wanting,  to  obtain  it  they  have  only 
to  follow  the  instinct  which  they  have  received  from  nature,  and 
which  never  deceives  them  :  it  always  conducts  them  in  safety ;  and 
as  soon  as  their  appetites  are  satisfied  they  are  perfectly  content,  and 
desire  nothing  farther  ;  and  they  enjoy  the  present  without  being  con- 
cerned for  the  future. 

In  these  respects,  brutes  are  superior  to  men.  Man  is  obliged  to 
meditate,  invent,  labour,  exercise  himself,  and  receive  instructions, 
without  which  he  would  remain  as  in  a  state  of  childhood,  and  would 
with  difficulty  obtain  the  necessaries  of  life.  His  passions,  so  far  from 
guiding  him,  tend  to  lead  him  astray.  It  is  reason  alone  that  consti- 
tutes the  great  and  essential  difference  between  him  and  brutes, 
indicates  to  him  the  means  of  satisfying  his  wants,  and  gives  him 
prerogatives  to  which  the  brute  creation  can  never  attain.  Gifted 
with  the  faculty  of  reason,  man  is  enabled  to  procure  every  necessary, 
every  convenience,  and  every  luxury  ;  to  multiply  all  his  pleasures, 
to  ennoble  and  render  them  subservient  to  the  best  purposes.  His 
soul  enjoys  delights  that  are  unknown  to  brute  animals ;  pleasures 
whose  sources  are  knowledge,  wisdom,  religion,  order,  and  virtue, 
and  which  infinitely  surpass  all  merely  sensual  gratifications,  inas- 
much as  they  tend  to  improve  and  promote  the  perfection  of  human 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


477 


nature,  causing  it  more  and  more  to  resemble  the  aivine  essence  of 
God  ;  and  they  endure  for  ever ;  whilst,  on  the  contrary,  the  more  a 
man  indulges  in  sensual  gratifications,  the  more  does  he  become  un- 
fitted for  any  thing  great  and  dignified,  and  approaches  nearer  to  the 
nature  of  brutes. 

We  may  also  add,  that  the  sphere  in  which  animals  are  obliged  to 
move  is  very  narrow  and  confined  ;  their  desires  and  propensities  are 
I  few,  and  their  pleasures  little  diversified  ;  while  those  of  man  areinfi- 
'nitely  varied;  he  is  interested  in  all  objects,  and  there  is  nothing 
/  which  he  cannot  convert  to  his  utility.    He  is  the  only  being  upon 
;  the  earth  that  is  progressively  advancing  towards  perfection,  con- 
tinually making  new  discoveries,  and  enlarging  his  stores  of  know- 
ledge ;  all  other  animals  remaining  constantly  confined  within  a 
limited  circle,  neither  capable  of  invention,  nor  able  to  attain  to  greater 
perfection  ;  always  continuing  at  the  same  point,  unable  by  applica- 
tion and  exertion  to  rise  above  other  animals  of  the  same  species. 

Reason,  then,  and  its  consequences,  alone  give  us  that  decided 
superiority  which  we  enjoy  over  the  brute  creation  ;  and  in  it  consists 
the  chief  excellence  of  our  nature.  To  make  use  of  reason,  to  enno- 
ble the  pleasures  of  the  senses,  to  increasingly  enjoy  intellectual 
delights,  to  progressively  advance  in  wisdom  and  in  virtue,  is  the  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic  of  man  ;  the  great  end  for  which  he  was 
created,  and  the  chief  object  to  which  he  should  direct  his  attention. 


DECEMBER  XXIV. 

CALCULATION  CONCERNING  THE  RESURRECTION. 

How  numerous  will  be  the  crowd  of  human  beings  assembled 
together  in  the  great  day  of  the  resurrection !  Supposing  that  Germany 
did  not  begin  to  be  peopled  till  five  hundred  years  after  the  general 
deluge,  that  is,  about  four  thousand  five  hundred  years  ago  ;  and  that 
from  the  foundation  of  the  city  of  Hamburgh  at  the  above  time,  to 
the  day  of  judgment,  supposing  that  it  w  as  to  happen  at  the  present 
epoch,  there  have  only  been  two  hundred  persons  buried  annually, 
reckoning  one  year  with  another;  the  number  of  deaths  would  amount 
to  nine  hundred  thousand.  If,  then,  a  single.city  should  produce  so 
many  human  beings  at  the  day  of  judgment,  how  many  must  the 
whole  empire  of  Germany  supply  in  the  same  space  of  time?  Sup- 
posing that  it  contains  twenty-four  millions  of  inhabitants,  the  city  of 
Hamburgh  could  not  be  estimated  at  more  than  the  three-thousandth 
part  of  the  whole. 

If  that  is  the  case,  we  may  suppose,  on  the  preceding  calculation, 
that  Germany  alone  Vv^ould  produce  two  thousand  one  hundred 
miUions.  The  number  is  doubtless  very  great ;  and  yet  what  is  it 
compared  with  the  produce  of  the  whole  earth,  the  present  number  of 
whose  inhabitants  is  estimated  at  about  one  thousand  millions  ]  If  we 


478 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


fake  this  number,  and  make  use  of  the  same  calculation  as  before, 
the  sum  total  of  deaths  in  the  above-mentioned  period  of  time  will 
amount  to  eighty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  millions.  And  if  now 
be  added  those  that  have  lived  before  the  deluge,  and  those  who  died 
during  the  next  five  hundred  years,  which  may  be  reckoned  at  a  fourth 
part  of  the  preceding,  we  shall  then  have  a  total  of  one  hundred  and 
nine  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  millions.  And  lastly, 
let  us  add  the  number  of  people  that  will  be  alive  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, which,  estimating  it  at  our  former  calculation  of  one  thousand 
millions,  will  give  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  millions. 

How  inconceivable,  then,  must  that  intelligence  be,  which  can 
scrutinize  the  most  secret  thoughts  of  each  individual  of  which  such 
an  infinite  multitude  is  composed  !  an  intelligence  that  scans  every 
hidden  sentiment,  word,  and  deed ;  which  exactly  remembers  the 
hour  of  their  birth,  the  duration  of  their  life,  the  manner  and  circum- 
stances of  their  death ;  and  which  knows  how  to  distinguish  the 
scattered  atoms  of  each,  and  collect  them  together,  whether  their 
bodies  had  been  reduced  to  ashes,  dissolved  into  millions  of  particles, 
or  undergone  innumerable  transformations.  How  omnipotent  is  the 
work  of  collecting  these  scattered  particles,  of  purifying  and  ennobling 
them,  and  forming  them  into  new,  immortal,  and  incorruptible  bodies ! 

We  are  informed  by  divine  revelation  that  hosts  of  angels  shall 
gather  the  chosen  from  the  four  winds  :  that  the  sound  of  the  trumpet 
shall  awaken  the  bodies  of  the  saints  that  sleep.  How  delightful  to 
the  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  thousand  angels  will  be  the 
oflSce  of  collecting  their  beloved  brethren,  and  presenting  them  to 
Christ !  How  transporting  for  the  myriads  of  blessed  spirits  whom  God 
had  gathered  in  his  bosom,  again  to  receive  the  bodies  which  they 
had  left,  pale,  emaciated,  and  disfigured  by  suflferings,  torn  and  muti- 
lated by  violence,  or  consumed  by  fire  ;  to  receive  them  back,  clothed 
with  celestial  beauty  and  splendour ;  light  and  radiant  as  the  forms  of 
the  holy  angels  1 


DECEMBER  XXV. 

THOUGHTS  UPON  THE  NATIVITY  OP  CHRIST, 

What  sentiments  of  joy  and  gratitude  should  the  Christian  feel  on 
this  day,  when  he  celebrates  the  birth  of  Jesus  !  How  great  is  my 
wonder  when  I  meditate  upon  the  circumstances  which  attended  that 
glorious  event !  I  represent  to  myself  the  Son  of  God  in  the  lowest 
state  of  humiliation,  clothed  with  a  corporeal  being,  visible  and  weak 
as  I  am.  How  wonderful  !  The  Son  of  the  King  of  kings,  whom 
angels  minister  unto  and  adore,  appears  a  feeble  babe,  naked,  desti- 
tute, and  shedding  tears,  lying  in  a  manger!  How  prodigious  the 
change  from  this  humiliating  and  limited  state  of  being  to  be  elevated. 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


479 


the  Saviour  of  mankind,  upon  the  throne  of  eternal  glory !  When  I 
reflect  upon  my  own  unworthiness,  and  the  infinite  majesty  of  Him 
who  offered  himself  up  a  sacrifice  to  human  mahce,  and  suffered  every 
indignity  that  the  ingenuity  of  men  could  devise,  to  be  my  Mediator 
and  Redeemer,  I  feel  my  admiration  and  astonishment  too  great  for 
utterance;  and  when  I  discover  such  a  love  as  infinitely  surpasses 
what  the  best  of  men  can  possibly  merit,  a  love  beyond  all  my  powers 
of  conception  or  hope,  I  am  lost  in  astonishment,  and  can  only  silently 
admire  and  adore. 


DECEMBER  XXVI. 

THE  PLACE  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR's  NATIVITY. 

To  many  individuals,  at  first  sight,  it  may  appear  to  be  of  little  con- 
sequence to  know  the  place  of  Christ's  nativity;  for  we  should  regard 
him  as  our  Redeemer,  whatever  may  have  been  the  circumstances 
which  attended  his  mortal  life.  But  as  it  pleased  God  to  declare  the 
place  in  which^the  Saviour  of  man  should  be  born,  it  became  neces- 
sary that  it  should  happen  precisely  in  the  appointed  place,  that  it 
might  be  one  of  the  characteristics  by  which  Jesus  Christ  should  be 
known  to  be  the  true  Messiah. 

It  is  also  very  immaterial  to  us  where  we  may  live,  provided  that 
we  find  true  happiness.  There  is  no  place  upon  the  earth,  however 
poor  and  despicable,  that  may  not  have  better  and  more  happy  inha- 
bitants than  are  found  in  the  largest  and  most  celebrated  cities.  Do 
we  know  a  single  spot  upon  the  globe  where  the  works  of  God  do  not 
present  themselves  under  a  thousand  diflferent  forms,  and  where  a 
person  may  not  experience  the  sweet  consolation  arising  from  a  well- 
spent  life?  For  an  individual,  that  place  is  to  be  preferred  where  he 
can  receive  and  communicate  the  most  good.  For  a  number  of 
people,  that  place  is  the  best  which  contains  the  greatest  proportion 
of  wise  and  good  men.  Every  nation  declines  in  proportion  as  reli- 
gion and  virtue  lose  their  influence  over  the  minds  of  the  people.  The 
place  where  in  our  youth  we  contemplated  the  opening  of  the  morn, 
and  the  renewed  beauty  of  nature,  with  all  the  raptures  incident  to 
that  age,  whilst  we  adored  our  God  with  all  the  veneration  and  love 
which  we  felt  so  warmly  in  our  hearts  ;  the  place  sacred  to  our  first 
eff*U3ions  of  pure  and  inviolable  attachment  to  the  object  that  we 
loved,  or  where  two  friends  have  pledged  their  mutual  aflfection  ;  the 
place  where  we  have  received  the  first  rudiments  of  knowledge,  or 
acquired  the  great  principles  of  religion,  and  become  examples  of 
goodness  and  purity  ;  ought  to  be  very  dear  to  us,  and  closely  wound 
round  the  tendrils  of  our  hearts. 

According  to  these  principles,  Bethlehem,  notwithstanding  its 
smallness,  was  a  venerable  place,  since  it  was  the  abode  of  so  many 
pious  people,  and  that  singular  acts  of  piety  and  devotion  had  been 


480 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


practised  there.  It  was  there  the  patriarcfi*  Jacob  stayed  some  time  to 
erect  a  monument  to  his  much-loved  Rachel.  It  was  at  Bethlehem 
that  Naomi  and  her  amiable  daughter-in-law,  Ruth,  gave  striking 
proofs  of  their  faith  and  their  virtue  ;  and  it  was  there  that  Boaz,  the 
generous  benefactor,  had  his  abode  and  possessions.  At  Bethlehem 
sojourned  the  humble  Jesse,  the  happy  father  of  so  many  sons ;  the 
youngest  of  whom  ascended  from  the  pastoral  hook  to  the  sceptre  of 
Israel.  It  was  there  that  David  formed  the  resolution  of  building  a 
house  to  the  Lord,  and  sliowed  himself  the  true  shepherd  and  father 
of  his  people,  when,  at  the  sight  of  the  exterminating  angel,  whose 
sword  carried  with  it  death  and  dismay,  he  interceded  for  the  afflicted 
sufferers.  At  Bethlehem  was  born  the  Prince  Zerubabel,  the  descend- 
ant of  David,  who  was  the  type  of  that  Ruler  and  Shepherd,  under 
whose  banners  Israel  was  one  day  to  assemble,  in  order  to  enjoy  un- 
interrupted felicity.  Lastly,  in  th-is  city  appeared  the  Son  of  God, 
who,  by  his  birth,  laid  the  foundation  of  that  salvation  which,  as 
Redeemer,  he  purchased  for  the  whole  world.  Thus  in  a  place  of 
contemptible  size,  and  mean  appearance,  we  sometimes  see  men  spring 
up,  who  become  the  fathers  and  benefactors  of  the  human  race.  And 
often  a  village  unknow^i  to  fame  has  given  birth  to  a  man  who,  by 
his  wisdom,  uprightness,  or  heroism,  has  been  a  blessing  to  whole 
kingdoms. 

It  is  our  duty,  whether  our  lot  be  cast  in  towns,  in  hamlets,  or  in 
cities,  so  to  live,  that  the  end  for  which  our  Saviour  was  born  may  be 
accomphshed  in  us.  It  is  certain  that  true  piety  would  make  much 
more  rapid  progress  upon  the  earth,  if  men  every  where  endeavoured  to 
give  proofs  of  the  innocence  of  their  manners  and  the  fervency  of 
their  faith,  and  become  examples  of  patience,  diligence,  and  upright- 
ness. If  our  cities  presented  more  patterns  of  virtue,  their  influence 
might  extend  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  ;  so  that  every  village 
and  hamlet  might  contain  families  who,  like  Joseph  and  Mary,  dis- 
tinguished themselves  by  their  devotion,  and  obtained  respect  and 
esteem  for  their  piety,  though  dwelling  in  poverty  and  obscurity. 
God  would  scatter  his  blessings  over  the  country  of  these  good  people, 
and  after  some  generations  we  might  reasonably  expect  that  a  people 
would  be  formed  full  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  walking  carefully  in 
his  ways.  He  who  has  traversed  the  extent  of  the  globe,  has  visited 
cities,  and  the  splendid  domains  of  royalty,  and  has  witnessed  all  the 
diversified  species  of  iniquity,  and  crimes  of  every  hue  that  are  there 
practised,  has  abundant  cause  to  be  thankful  to  God  when  at  last  he 
finds  some  town  or  village  where,  in  a  peaceful  cottage,  and  surrounded 
by  his  family  and  friends,  he  may  devote  himself  entirely  to  the  service 
of  God  and  the  benefit  of  his  fellow-creatures  ;  and  thus  attain  that 
sweet  content  and  heavenly  peace  of  mind,  which  alone  can  be  the 
result  of  good  actions  and  an  innocent  heart.  He  will  not  then 
regret  those  places  that  he  has  once  seen  ;  more  splendid,  indeed,  but 
where  sensual  pleasure  spreads  all  its  snares ;  more  vast  and  grand, 
but  where  vice  is  triumphant ;  more  rich,  but  where  the  people  live 
in  the  forgetfulness  and  in  the  neglect  of  the  duties  which  they  owe 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


481 


to  God  and  to  man.  To  all  these  lie  will  prefer  an  obscure  retreat, 
where,  safe  from  the  pangs  of  remorse,  and  the  upbraidings  of  a  con- 
science ill  at  rest,  he  mav  spend  his  days  in  peace  and  in  joy. 


DECEMBER  XXVII. 

CARE  WHICH  GOD  TAKES  OF  MEN  FROM  THE  TIME  OF  THEIR  BIRTH. 

The  wants  of  our  infancy  are  numerous.  With  pain  and  difficulty 
we  come  into  the  world ;  and  should  soon  lose  the  life  we  had 
but  just  begun  to  feel,  if  the  various  things  necessary  for  our  food 
and  clothing  were  not  prepared  beforehand,  and  if  there  were  not 
persons  to  take  care  of  us  in  our  weak  and  helpless  state,  when  we 
are  destitute  of  all  things  ;  or,  rather,  if  our  heavenly  Father  him- 
self did  not  watch  over  us  for  our  preservation.  He  took  care  of  us 
whilst  we  were  in  our  mother's  womb,  at  a  time  when  no  human 
wisdom  or  industry  could  assist  us.  It  is  he  Avho  fashioned  our  bo- 
dies, and  arranged  and  connected  together  all  their  various  parts. 
He  has  given  to  each  of  the  veins  its  particular  direction,  and  pours 
through  them  all  the  vital  fluid.  He  has  clothed  us  with  skin  and  with 
flesh,  and  has  given  us  bones  and  nerves  ;  and  by  diffusing  through 
all  these  an  intelligent  and  rational  spirit,  has  formed  a  being  worthy 
of  bearing  his  own  divine  semblance.  The  same  Providence  which 
watched  over  us  at  the  time  of  our  first  being  has  graciously  conti- 
nued his  paternal  cares,  and  has  never  forgotten  us.  And  he  is  not 
merely  satisfied  with  providing  foi'  all  our  necessities,  by  giving  us 
fond  and  affectionate  parents,  who,  whilst  we  are  unable  to  do  any 
thing  for  ourselves,  tenderly  cherish  and  preserve  us  as  their  great- 
est blessing  and  delight ;  but  he  has  done  more,  he  has  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  our  future  happiness.  At  the  time  of  our  birth  the  causes 
which  would  influence  our  future  welfare  already  existed,  and  began 
to  operate  according  to  the  views  of  a  wise  Providence.  How  much 
the  comforts  or  the  misery  of  our  lives  depend  upon  our  parents  ;  their 
opinions,  ranks,  fortunes,  and  connexions  !  How  much  the  happiness 
of  our  lives  must  be  influenced  by  our  early  education,  the  examples 
that  are  before  us,  the  connexions  that  we  form,  the  opportunities  that 
occur  of  exercising  our  powers,  and  developing  our  faculties  !  And  is 
it  not  God,  our  Father,  whose  wisdom  and  goodness  ordered  all  these 
things  for  our  present  and  eternal  happiness  1  How  consoling,  then, 
is  the  thought,  that  a  Being  infinitely  good,  wise,  and  powerful,  has 
watched  over  us  before  we  were  born,  guarded  our  tender  infancy, 
and  determined  and  regulated  all  that  we  shall  require  in  the  course 
of  our  lives. 


41 


8L 


482 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


DECEMBER  XXVIII. 

PERIOD  OF  HUMAN  LIFE. 

Every  man  dies  precisely  at  the  time  that  God,  in  his  eternal  wis- 
dom, has  appointed  :  as  the  time  of  our  birth  is  fixed,  so  also  is  that 
of  our  death.  But  the  term  of  life  is  not  subjected  to  an  inevitable 
fatality  or  necessity ;  such  things  do  not  exist.  Every  thing  that  oc- 
curs may  happen  sooner  or  later,  or  not  at  all ;  and  the  man  who  died 
to-day  might  have  died  sooner,  or  lived  longer.  God  has  not  num- 
bered the  days  of  any  particular  individual  by  an  absolute  and  arbi- 
trary decree,  or  without  having  a  regard  to  the  circumstances  in 
which  the  individual  may  be  placed.  God,  being  infinitely  wise,  can 
do  nothing  without  motives  that  are  worthy  of  his  divine  nature. 
He  must,  then,  have  just  reasons  for  determining  that  such  a  man 
should  leave  the  world  at  one  time  rather  than  at  another.  Yet,  though 
the  term  of  hfe  be  in  itself  neither  affected  by  necessity  nor  fatahty, 
it  is  certain,  and  can  never  be  really  changed. 

Whenever  a  man  dies,  some  causes  must  infallibly  lead  to  his  death: 
these,  however,  may  at  any  time  be  suspended  by  the  Supreme  Being. 
One  man  dies  of  some  mortal  disease,  another  by  a  sudden  and  un- 
foreseen accident.  One  perishes  by  fire,  another  by  water.  All  these 
causes  God  has  foreseen  :  neither  has  he  been  an  idle  or  an  indiffer- 
ent spectator  ;  he  has  examined  them  all  w^ith  care,  compared  them 
with  his  views,  and  has  seen  whether  he  will  approve  of  them  or  not. 
If  he  approves  of  them,  they  are  determined  ;  and,  in  that  case,  there 
exists  a  divine  decree,  by  virtue  of  which  a  man  will  die  at  a  certain 
time  by  some  particular  accident  or  contingency.  This  decree  can 
neither  be  revoked  nor  prevented  ;  for  the  same  reasons  which  might 
influence  God  to  take  a  man  from  the  earth  at  this  present  time  were 
known  to  him  from  all  eternity,  and  his  wisdom  would  enable  him  to 
form  the  same  judgment  then  that  he  would  in  the  present  instance. 
What,  then,  should  induce  him  to  revoke  his  decrees  1 

It  may,  however,  happen  that  God,  foreseeing  the  causes  of  the 
death  of  a  particular  individual,  did  not  approve  of  them.  In  this 
case  he  has  at  least  determined  to  permit  them,  or  otherwise  they 
could  not  have  taken  place,  nor  the  individual  have  died.  And  if  the 
permission  of  these  causes  of  death  has  been  determined,  God  then 
wills  that  we  should  die  in  the  time  when  these  causes  shall  exist. 
It  is  true  he  might  have  been  disposed  to  grant  us  a  longer  life,  and 
not  approve  of  the  causes  of  our  death ;  but  it  was  inconsistent  with 
his  wisdom  to  counteract  their  operation.  He  saw  the  universe  col- 
lectively, and  found  reasons  whjch  induced  him  to  permit  that  a  man 
should  die  at  a  particular  time,  though  he  neither  approved  of  the 
causes,  manner,  nor  circumstances,  of  that  death.  His  wisdom  finds 
means  to  direct  that  death  to  the  most  useful  purposes  ;  or  he  fore- 
saw that  a  longer  life,  in  the  particular  circumstances  in  which  a 
man  was  placed,  could  neither  be  of  advantage  to  him,  nor  to  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


483 


world  in  general :  or  he  saw,  that  to  prevent  that  death,  a  new  and 
perfectly  different  combination  of  things  was  requisite  ;  a  combination 
that  could  not  accord  with  the  general  plan  of  the  universe,  and 
which  would  prevent  still  greater  good  from  taking  place.  Thus,  al- 
though God  may  sometimes  disapprove  the  causes  of  a  man's  death, 
he  has,  nevertheless,  sufficiently  wise  and  just  reasons  to  permit  them 
to  take  place  ;  and  consequently,  to  determine  that  a  man  shall  die 
at  a  particular  time,  and  by  certain  means.  These  considerations  are 
well  calculated  to  make  us  regard  death  with  christian  resignation 
and  fortitude.  What  principally  renders  it  so  formidable  is  the  un- 
certainty of  its  approach,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  seizes  us.  If  we 
knew  beforehand  how  and  when  w^e  should  die,  we  might  prepare  to 
meet  the  awful  hour  with  resolution.  But  as  that  is  very  seldom  the 
case,  nothing  is  more  effectual  to  strengthen  our  minds  and  tranquil- 
lize our  thoughts  upon  that  event,  than  the  belief  in  a  Providence 
which  watches  over  our  lives  ;  and  which,  from  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world  has  determined,  with  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness,  the 
time,  the  manner,  and  all  the  circumstances  of  our  death.  The  term 
of  our  lives  is  then  appointed ;  and  nobody  can  die  sooner  or  later  than 
God,  in  his  infinite  mercy,  has  determined  for  the  good  even  of  the 
individual  himself.  Persuaded  of  this  consoling  truth,  let  ,us  calmly 
await  the  hour  of  death :  and  since  its  arrival  is  uncertain,  let  us 
be  wise  enough  to  prepare  for  it  at  all  times,  and  be  found  in  a  state  of 
readiness  whenever  it  may  happen  ;  knowing  that  the  period  will  be 
that  which  God  has  judged  will  be  the  best  for  us.  It  is  true,  we  are 
ignorant  what  will  be  the  manner  of  our  death,  and  the  particular 
circumstances  attending  it ;  but  it  is  sufficient  to  know  and  to  believe 
that  we  can  only  die  in  that  way,  and  at  that  time,  which  our  hea- 
venly Father  shall  deem  to  be  the  best  for  ourselves,  and  for  all  those 
connected  with  us.  Strengthened  by  this  belief,  we  shall  continue 
to  pursue  our  terrestrial  pilgrimage  without  inquietude  ;  submitting 
patiently  to  all  the  dispensations  of  Providence,  fearless  of  the  dangers 
to  which  the  performance  of  our  duty  may  expose  us. 


DECEMBER  XXIX. 


THE  INSTABILITY  OF  EARTHLY  THINGS. 


Nothing  exists  in  nature  whose  state  and  manner  of  being  is  not 
liable  to  change.  Every  thing  is  the  sport  of  frailty  and  inconstancy  ; 
nothing  is  so  durable  as  always  to  retain  its  present  appearance.  The 
most  solid  and  compact  bodies  have  not  such  a  degree  of  impenetra- 
bility, and  so  close  a  union  of  the  parts  which  compose  them,  as  to  be 
exempted  from  dissolution  and  destruction.  Every  particle  of  matter 
insensibly  changes  its  figure.  How  many  changes  have  our  bodies 
undergone  since  their  first  formation  in  our  mother's  womb !  eveiy  year 
we  lose  some  of  our  constituent  parts,  and  again  acquire  new  ones. 


484  STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 

Every  thing  upon  the  earth  grows  and  decays  by  turns,  only  in  some 
bodies  these  changes  are  not  so  frequent  and  great  as  in  others.  The 
heavenly  bodies  appear  to  be  the  same  as  they  were  at  their  first  crea- 
tion ;  and  perhaps  they  are  the  least  changeable  of  all  bodies.  Yet 
attentive  observers  have  noted  the  disappearance  of  certain  stars  from 
the  heavens ;  and  the  changes  which  take  place  in  the  spots  that 
appear  on  the  sun  prove  that  he  is  not  always  in  the  same  state. 
Besides,  his  motion  subjects  him  to  different  variations,  and  we  have  \ 
reason  to  believe  he  undergoes  at  times  various  internal  revolutions. 
All  that  we  can  know  of  them  is  conjectural,  because  of  the  immense 
distance  that  we  are  from  him  ;  and,  no  doubt,  if  we  were  able  to  ob- 
serve them  near  enough,  we  should  discover  as  much  instability  in  all 
the  heavenly  bodies  as  we  do  upon  our  earth. 

The  year,  which  in  two  days  more  will  terminate,  furnishes  abun- 
dant proof  of  the  uncertainty  and  frailty  of  all  earthly  things.  Con- 
fining ourselves  to  the  small  circle  in  which  we  move,  how  frequent 
are  the  changes  that  we  witness  !  Many  of  those  people  whom  we 
have  known  for  years  are  no  more ;  many  whom  we  have  seen 
smiled  upon  by  fortune  are  now  groveUing  in  poverty,  or  reduced  from 
a  state  of  rank  and  influence  to  mediocrity  and  dependence.  If  we 
examine  into  ourselves,  we  shall  also  find  we  have  undergone  various 
changes.  Our  health  and  activity  may  have  decayed  ;  we  may  have 
been  subjected  to  misfortunes,  sickness,  and  the  infidelity  of  those 
whom  we  trusted. 

Such  reflections  are  gloomy  and  sorrowful,  and  might  even  reduce 
us  to  despair,  if  we  were  not  supported  and  consoled  by  rehgion, 
which  leads  us  to  an  almighty,  unchangeable,  and  eternal  Being ;  in 
the  full  assurance  of  whose  unalterable  goodness  and  love,  let  us  sub- 
mit with  resignation  to  all  the  vicissitudes  of  this  transitory  world. 


DECEMBER  XXX. 

RETROSPECT  OF  OUR  LIVES. 

The  termination  of  another  year  of  our  lives  should  induce  us  to 
make  some  reflections,  which,  though  of  the  utmost  importance,  do 
not  in  general  occupy  so  much  of  our  attention  as  they  ought.  That 
we  may  feel  more  sensibly  how  short  is  the  period  of  our  lives,  let  us 
examine  how  we  have  passed  the  days  that  we  have  already  lived, 
however  humiliating  a  task  it  may  be. 

Let  us  first  consider  those  days,  the  employment  of  which  it  was 
not  in  our  power  to  regulate.  How  much  of  this  year  has  been 
passed  in  eating,  drinking,  and  sleeping ;  in  taking  care  of  our  bodies, 
and  providing  for  our  necessities  ?  How  much  time  has  been  spent 
in  useless  occupations,  without  any  advantage  gained  for  our  immortal 
souls  !  How  many  hours  have  been  passed  in  uncertainty  and  inac- 
tion ;  in  perplexity,  and  in  expectation  !  So  that  when  we  make  the 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS.  485 

days  of  the  year  pass  in  review  before  us,  we  shall  discover  how 
numerous  those  have  been  that  were  unproductive  of  any  intellectual 
good  ;  and  how  very  few  have  been  employed  in  acts  Of  real  utility, 
either  to  ourselves  or  to  others  ;  and  of  those  few,  how  many  hours 
have  been  sacrificed  to  vice,  and  devoted  to  sin !  How  humiliating" 
and  afflicting  is  the  recollection  that  so  many  of  the  hours  allotted  to 
us  by  almighty  Goodness  have  been  lost  in  idleness,  or  lavished  in 
folly :  hours  that  never  can  be  recalled  ;  in  which  we  have  wandered 
far  from  the  best  and  tenderest'of  Fathers  !  Perhaps  they  have  been 
profaned  by  impiety,  envy,  jealousy,  and  slander  ;  or  sacrificed  to  the 
world,  to  vanity,  to  indolence,  and  to  false  pleasures;  all  tending  to 
divest  our  hearts  of  the  love  of  God,  and  charity  for  one  another. 
Instead  of  employing  them  in  the  promotion  of  righteousness,  perhaps 
we  have  devoted  them  to  oppose  the  cause  of  truth,  and  combat  the 
designs  of  Providence  ;  giving  trouble  to  society,  and  molestation  to 
the  church.  And,  lastly,  how  rapidly  does  the  short  space  that  we 
have  to  remain  upon  the  earth  fly  away  !  Year  after  year  passes  by 
almost  imperceptibly,  before  we  even  notice  it;  and  then  it  is  impos- 
sible to  be  brought  back. 

Father  of  mercy !  forgive  us  the  faults  we  have  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  commit ;  and  grant  that  in  the  awful  hour  of  death  the 
manner  in  which  we  have  passed  our  last  year  may  not  cause  anguish 
to  prey  upon  our  hearts. 


DECEMBER  XXXI. 

HYMN  OF  THANKSGIVING  FOR  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  YEAR. 

Lord,  thou  art  the  God  of  time  :  thou  art  also  the  God  of  eternity  ! 
I  will  sing  a  joyous  song  to  thy  praise ;  I  will  celebrate  thy  holy 
name.  A  year  is  about  to  finish  its  course  :  to  what  do  I  owe  the 
continuation  of  my  existence  1  It  is  to  thy  grace  alone,  and  to  thy 
paternal  love ! 

Being  of  beings,  receive  my  adoration !  Thou  art  immutable : 
thou  hast  been,  thou  art,  and  thou  shalt  be  through  all  eternity  I  Thy 
love  endures  from  generation  to  generation  ;  and  each  morning  brings 
a  renewal  of  thy  goodness  1 

Thou  hast  led  me  by  thy  paternal  care  through  the  year  that  is 
now  ending  :  when  my  heart  was  preyed  upon  by  care  and  sorrow, 
thou  visitedst  it  by  thy  consolation  and  assistance,  I  will  praise  thee 
and  exalt  thee  from  the  depths  of  my  soul,  and  again  commit  myself 
to  thy  wise  and  unerring  guidance. 

Pardon,  O  my  God,  those  innumerable  errors  which  I  have  com- 
mitted against  thee  in  the  days  that  are  passed ;  and  let  me  again 
experience,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  thy  paternal  support.  Teach  me 
to  do  thy  will  and  thy  pleasure  all  the  days  of  my  life  ! 

The  world  passes  away,  and  its  pleasures  disperse :  it  is  not  in 
41* 


486 


STURM'S  REFLECTIONS. 


these,  therefore,  that  I  am  to  seek  my  happiness.  Even  here  below 
I  may  aspire  to  nobler  joys.  I  am  allied  to  angels,  and  hearen  is  my 
patrjmony  : — Grant,  O  God,  that  I  may  incessantly  aspire  after  it ! 

Teach  me,  O  God,  to  redeem  my  time,  and  to  walk  with  holy  cir- 
cumspection in  the  way  that  leads  to  eternity  !  Condescend  to  alle- 
viate the  burden  of  life,  till  I  attain  the  happy  period  when  all  my 
labours  shall  cease,  my  repose  no  more  be  interrupted,  and  when  I 
shall  enter  into  the  eternal  kingdom  of  ioy  and  peace ! 

AMEN. 


THE  ENP. 


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